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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24521044">Chiaroscuro</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saobryn/pseuds/Saobryn'>Saobryn</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Super Smash Brothers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Amnesia, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Crossover, Developing Friendships, Friendship, Gen, Headcanon, Legendary Pokemon, Metal Gear References, Multiple Crossovers, Mystery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pokemon, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon - Freeform, Pokemon References, Rescue Teams | Exploration Teams (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon), Smash Mansion, Star Fox, Subspace Emissary (Super Smash Brothers), Super Smash Bros. (Nintendo 64 Game), Super Smash Bros. 4 (Nintendo 3DS/Wii U Game), Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Talking Pokemon, Unlikely Friendships, World of Light (Super Smash Brothers)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 08:28:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>76,620</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24521044</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saobryn/pseuds/Saobryn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After the Super Smash Brothers defeat the Subspace Army, they settle down and attempt to live normal lives once more. Of course, when you gather a number of the universe's most famed heroes and feared villains in one mansion, trouble is never too far behind.</p><p><em><span class="u">Chiaroscuro</span></em> includes YouTube links to stage music to make Brawls a little more interesting. Now if only FanFiction.Net could do the same…</p><p>(This work will be updated very sporadically because real life sucks!)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Three Months Later…</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>First of all…I like to write really long chapters. The more, the merrier?</p><p>This fic was first published (and is <a href="https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7145629/1/Chiaroscuro">still being updated</a>) on FanFiction.Net. It used to be called <em><span class="u">Life at the Mansion: Disc 1</span></em>, and before that, it was called <em>Life at the Mansion: The Revenge of Subspace</em>, which we don't talk about.</p><p>Please enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>How are the Smashers doing three months after their battle with the Subspace Army?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>"I swear, Falco…if you die on me, I'm gonna kill you!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The avian fighter named Falco Lombardi smiled weakly at his vulpine friend. He had never seen him look so angry before. "Yo, Fox," he said, "if I die, doesn't that take the fun out of killing me?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Fox McCloud just growled and quickly checked his Blaster. "Look…all I want is for you to stay alive, okay? We need you for this fight. Just a little bit more and…maybe we can finally go home."</em>
</p><p><em>"Thanks for making me, your favorite Star Fox flyboy, feel </em>so<em> important."</em></p><p>
  <em>"Now's not a good time for that cheeky atti—"</em>
</p><p><em>"EEEEE! </em>WATCH OUT!<em>"</em></p><p>
  <em>A bundle of brown fur collided into Fox and Falco, knocking them onto the ground. Two seconds later, the air above the Star Fox teammates exploded with an intense flash of red light. Fox, feeling slightly unnerved at the thought of having nearly been caught in the explosion, turned his head to see a panicked monkey with a partially scorched cap. "Diddy…?"</em>
</p><p><em>"Foooox!" yelled Diddy Kong, dancing around like his nonexistent pants had caught fire. "You coulda </em>died<em> if I hadn't come running!"</em></p><p><em>Fox chuckled a little in spite of himself. He remembered that </em>he<em> had been admonishing Falco about dying just a few moments ago. "Thanks for the save, Diddy," he said appreciatively. "Now let's kick some Tabuu butt! Falco, are you just gonna stay there and let us do all the work?"</em></p><p><em>"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" The avian jumped to his feet. "There's absolutely </em>no<em> way I'm missing out on this. Let's go!"</em></p><p>
  <em>Another explosion rocked the ground. A blue-haired swordsman with a tattered red cape slowly stood up after finishing his Aether attack. He coughed several times and hefted his golden-bladed sword over his shoulder. "This isn't going to work…" he grumbled.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A spherical fighter whose face was concealed by a metallic mask glanced at him. "Ike," he said slowly, his deep voice somehow cutting through the din of the battle, "what is the matter?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I can't hit Tabuu if I'm already trying to dodge his attacks," explained Ike. "I can't find any openings. It's like he has eyes on the back of his head… Any tips, Meta Knight?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"We must carry on" was Meta Knight's simple reply.</em>
</p><p><em>In another area of the battlefield, a blond-haired boy shrieked when a trophy of a boy wearing a red cap thudded onto the ground next to him. "Ness?! Oh…no, no, no," he groaned to himself. "I can't rely on Ness all the time! I need to do something by myself. Come on, Lucas, you can do it. You won't run away like a coward this time, right? </em>PK Freeze!<em>"</em></p><p>
  <em>The cold, blue light of Lucas' PK Freeze was reflected by the many trophies that dotted the dark, glass-like landscape. The trophies were of the fellow fighters who had fallen during their battle against their ultimate nemesis, Tabuu.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A green dinosaur let out a pained screech as the leader of the Subspace Army—as well as the very embodiment of Subspace—repeatedly struck at him with a chain of light. Finally overcome with agony and exhaustion, he keeled over and transformed into a trophy. Then Tabuu turned to a Hylian swordsman and rapidly slashed at him while he was distracted by the dinosaur's transformation, and he, too, turned into a trophy. The swordsman's trophy landed next to that of a Hylian princess wearing a flowing white and lavender dress.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A yellow, mouse-like Pokémon gnashed his teeth in anxiety. "Ugh…! Yoshi and Link just got trophified…"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A little boy who looked much like Link saw the latter fall before Tabuu. He screamed in rage. Tabuu smiled at him and mercilessly brought him down.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"…And there goes Toon Link," muttered a woman clad in an orange Varia Suit. She was kneeling beside the Pokémon. "The Heroes of Twilight and Winds are down."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"At this rate, there won't be anyone left to stop Tabuu," said the Pokémon. He sounded panicked. "Even if we go around and revive the trophified guys, they won't have enough energy to keep fighting! Soon, they won't even have enough energy to come back to life when someone tries to revive them!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know, Pikachu. That's why we need to be cautious and wait for a good moment to attack."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"But Samus…some guys got beaten up because they thought they found good moments to attack—AHHH!" yelled Pikachu in fright when a large explosion enveloped Fox and Diddy Kong, instantly turning them into trophies. Samus sighed quietly in relief when she saw Falco narrowly escape the blast and roll onto the ground, relatively unharmed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>An F-Zero pilot sprinted across the glassy field, agilely dodging the three-bladed boomerang that Tabuu threw at him. The boomerang looped around and chased after the pilot; it was stopped by a missile that flew out of nowhere and crashed into it, exploding on impact. The F-Zero pilot leaped up and toward Tabuu and drew his right fist back.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Falcon…PUNCH!"</em>
</p><p><em>His fist shot forward and connected with Tabuu's chest. Flames in the shape of a falcon erupted from his body and engulfed the Subspace entity. As Tabuu squirmed about in the air, the F-Zero pilot returned to the ground and saluted a man who was wearing a navy blue bandana and a gray Sneaking Suit, and carrying a missile launcher. "That save was </em>solid<em>, Snake!"</em></p><p>
  <em>The mercenary called Solid Snake returned his Nikita missile launcher to wherever he kept all his equipment. He smirked and replied, "But that pun, Captain Falcon…was awful."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A bipedal, jackal-like Pokémon with blue and black fur appeared at Snake's side. "Save the wordplay for later, guys. There aren't many of us left to—"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>At that moment, Tabuu roared and Samus cried out in pain. She landed at Captain Falcon's feet. Pikachu shouted, "Ahhh! Samus!" and rushed to her side. As he and Captain Falcon helped support the bounty hunter, Tabuu bellowed again. His telepathic voice echoed across the battlefield.</em>
</p><p>"<em>FOOLS!</em> THE LIKES OF YOU CAN NEVER HOPE TO DEFEAT <em>ME</em>!"</p><p>
  <em>Despite knowing the danger he and his friends were in, Snake whistled quietly. "Damn. He sure doesn't look like he just got a—what did you call it? Right—an Aura Storm to the face." He nudged the jackal-like Pokémon, who timidly smiled back. "Lucario, how did you do that?"</em>
</p><p><em>"…Something just…snapped," said Lucario with a small and nervous shrug. "I mean, Tabuu didn't just try to trophify you. He tried to </em>kill<em> you."</em></p><p>
  <em>"I wonder if you can do it again. That would be incredibly helpful to all of us right now."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"For that to happen, I'll need Tabuu to drop you into a bottomless pit again."</em>
</p><p><em>"…There's </em>got<em> to be a better way than that."</em></p><p>
  <em>Samus groaned and stood up on shaky legs. A thin crack ran through the green visor of her helmet. "Tabuu's anger…is fueling him," she whispered, pausing every so often to catch her breath. "Even if he has been severely weakened by that Aura Storm…he's still a very dangerous opponent. When your emotions overwhelm you…you can't think rationally. And so…you let it all out."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Here he comes!" Snake suddenly said.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Right after the mercenary's warning, Tabuu dived at the small group of fighters and prepared to strike them down with a strange, purplish blade that pulsated with dark energy. Meta Knight's indigo cape transformed into a pair of bat-like wings, and he flew into the air and blocked the Subspace entity's blade with his own sword, Galaxia. Tabuu's empty black eyes met the knight's fierce yellow ones.</em>
</p><p><em>"NOW </em>KISS<em>!" hollered Captain Falcon with an excited whoop.</em></p><p>
  <em>Just as he had expected, both Tabuu and Meta Knight turned to gawk at him in disbelief. From a short distance away, Lucas grinned and took this opportunity to launch a PK Thunder at Tabuu. At the same time, Lucario used Aura Sphere and Pikachu used Thunder Jolt. Meta Knight saw the three incoming attacks and escaped right before they hit Tabuu.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"The hell was that all about?!" demanded Samus, staring at Captain Falcon, who was laughing loudly.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"C'mon, Sammy!" he told her. "Everybody knows the best way to distract super evil bad guys is to make jokes like that!" Then, in a much quieter voice, he whispered, "Frankly, I was hoping they'd actually do it…"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Meta Knight heard this and kicked him in the shin, while Samus, infuriated at his immaturity, slapped him several times across his face.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The swordsman called Ike came running to join the other fighters. "Just a few more hits should do it," he said. "We don't have any time to revive the others, but I'm sure we can be successful."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Any ideas?" questioned Captain Falcon.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ike was about to answer when he noticed the F-Zero pilot's swollen cheeks…which bore the imprints of a certain female bounty hunter's right hand. After being forced to deal with this type of situation many times throughout his and his fellow fighters' adventure through the realm of Subspace, he simply ignored the man's superficial wounds and replied, "We need to attack as a group. That way, whenever Tabuu focuses on one of us, there will be two or three more people he can't keep track of."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"And how exactly will we do that?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Falco crash-landed on top of Ike, preventing him from answering. "Preferably in a way that doesn't involve me goin' solo like I was just now!" he shouted as he helped the swordsman up. "You really gotta keep track of what's going on outside of your discussions." He pointed upward. "Hey, look, our buddy's on his way!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Tabuu descended from the black sky with a purplish energy blade in his right hand. On Ike's command, everybody jumped to dodge the attack. Lucario and Meta Knight chased after Tabuu to the other end of the battlefield and began to exchange blows with him. Lucario used the advantage of his attacks' long reach to strike at the Subspace entity from afar; Meta Knight remained close and stabbed and slashed while constantly dodging Tabuu's moves.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Falco, Samus, try shooting Tabuu from here to temporarily paralyze him," said Captain Falcon. "Then we can hop in and start beating him up without letting him escape."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Samus chuckled and said, "Finally got over your moment of childishness to lead us, huh?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The F-Zero pilot rolled his eyes. "Just do it!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>His annoyed tone made Samus laugh again, with Falco joining her, but then the bounty hunter raised her arm cannon and the avian brought out his Blaster. Together, they fired their weapons. A small blue burst fused with a much larger and more powerful energy ball and raced across the field, headed straight toward Lucario, Meta Knight, and Tabuu. Lucario, being the Aura Pokémon, was extremely perceptive of everything around him and was able to sense the incoming energy ball long before it could hit its target. He grabbed Meta Knight's hand and yanked him out of the way, and just a second later, the blast from Samus' arm cannon and Falco's Blaster hit Tabuu, stunning him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Nice shot!" Pikachu praised Samus and Falco, both of whom smiled in response.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>While Tabuu was unable to move, Meta Knight closed in with Drill Rush and proceeded to hack away. Lucario nimbly dashed behind Tabuu and slammed into him with Extreme Speed before pounding him repeatedly with Force Palm.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ike gestured toward the small knight and the Aura Pokémon. "I think that answers your question of how we will attack as a group, Captain Falcon."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Captain Falcon smirked and immediately went to join Meta Knight and Lucario. Ike, Samus, Falco, Pikachu, and Snake followed him. After a moment of hesitation, Lucas ran after them and left behind the trophy of his good friend, Ness.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Just then, a behemoth of a man came charging in and started pummeling Tabuu with punches and kicks infused with dark magic. It was Ganondorf, one of the three ex-commanders of the Subspace Army along with Bowser and Wario, two of the many enemies of a plumber named Mario. He had very recently switched sides and joined the ones that fought against the Army.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Good of you to come, Ganon!" said Falco a little sarcastically.</em>
</p><p><em>Lucas smacked him with his stick. "Not </em>now<em>, Falco!"</em></p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ganondorf made no response as he continued to rain blows on the one whom he had spent far too long serving. He was absolutely livid.</em>
</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>
  <em>All the fighters attacked Tabuu with whatever strength they had left. Falco zipped around with Falco Phantasm and fired away with his Blaster. Samus punched and kicked and tossed bombs and fired missiles. Pikachu used his various electrical moves. Lucas tried to aim for the right person with his stick and PSI moves. Ike bellowed loudly and slashed from all directions.</em>
</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p><em>"This should do it!" Lucario roared, holding his paws before himself. "Take this! </em>AURA SPHERE!<em>"</em></p><p>
  <em>A massive ball of aura, the essence of all living things, erupted from the Pokémon's paws and surrounded Tabuu's frozen body. Blue flames threatened to swallow up everyone and everything as Lucario channeled all of his remaining energy into his attack. The pain that he had accumulated during the battle increased his power several times.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"The cornered rat will bite the cat…" murmured Samus in awe, quoting something that she had heard Snake say some time ago. The light of the aura shone brightly in her blue-green eyes.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>They were all so focused on the battle that they hadn't noticed something that Snake had. The mercenary cursed the moment he realized it. "Everybody, stop!" he shouted. "It's a trap!"</em>
</p><p>KABOOM!<em> A massive explosion threw all the fighters onto the ground. Lucario's attack was abruptly cut off, and to the Pokémon's surprise, Tabuu was nowhere to be seen. Samus' Varia Suit fell apart, revealing her slim, Zero Suit-clad figure. "Dammit," she whispered, her last line of defense now lying in pieces around her.</em></p><p>
  <em>Snake swore again and clenched his fist as he lay on the ground in pain. "I hate to admit it," he grumbled. "I really do. But Tabuu is one smart bastard."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"…Wha… What happened…?" groaned Lucas, his ears still ringing from the blast.</em>
</p><p><em>"Tabuu was distracting us," Snake replied. "And what better to use than his own </em>self<em>…"</em></p><p>
  <em>As he was speaking, the air above him and the other fighters seemed to shimmer and vibrate. Tabuu suddenly reappeared, hovering several feet over the battle-ravaged ground. His arms were folded and he had a triumphant smile on his face. His dark eyes, however, remained blank.</em>
</p><p>"You truly <em>are</em> quite unobservant…"<em> he said softly.</em></p><p>
  <em>Meta Knight grunted with some effort. "You were just…toying with us."</em>
</p><p>"An interesting way to put it, but perhaps I was."</p><p>
  <em>"That…thing we were—" Snake paused when Lucario suddenly began to cough violently. He crawled over to the Aura Pokémon and watched him carefully. "That thing we were attacking…It wasn't Tabuu at all. It was just—"</em>
</p><p>"An illusion,"<em> Tabuu cut in. </em>"A body double. A trick of the eye. Whatever you would like to call it."</p><p>
  <em>"It just wasn't…the one we were aiming for," mumbled Pikachu.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He lured all of us in so that he could catch every one of us off guard," said Snake. "And it went just as he'd intended. So much for attacking as a group…"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ike smiled bitterly at this. "I'd say we still made a valiant effort."</em>
</p><p><em>Tabuu's dark eyes shimmered wickedly as he slowly unfurled his colorful, ornate wings. </em>"I never took you for an optimist,"<em> he said to the swordsman. </em>"Perhaps this is what happens when you are finally about to die."<em> He then pointed at Lucario, whose coughs had finally subsided and left him breathless. </em>"And you. After wasting all of your energy on something that never existed…how do you feel?"</p><p>
  <em>"Shut…up," muttered the Aura Pokémon through gritted teeth. Too weak to support himself, he lay on his side, unable to make eye contact with Tabuu. "Don't…mock me."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Out of the corner of his eye, Lucas saw Ganondorf, who had been lying on the ground behind Tabuu, struggle to his feet. He gasped when the Gerudo king suddenly launched himself high into the air and grabbed the Subspace entity's arm.</em>
</p><p><em>Tabuu started to say, </em>"What are you—"</p><p>
  <em>Tendrils of white lightning shot out of Ganondorf's hand and electrified Tabuu. The Subspace entity let out an elongated howl that made everyone's hair stand on end. Ganondorf's glittering gold eyes flared like those of a feral beast, and he gradually brought Tabuu closer to the glass-like ground. Tabuu's wings were flickering. All of the other fighters remained where they were, too exhausted to move, let alone help Ganondorf. Then the Gerudo king's body flashed brightly, and Samus gave a tiny "oh!" of surprise when the light faded to reveal a trophy of of the large man.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Falco grunted in anger and confusion. Ganondorf had probably been their best bet at defeating Tabuu, and he had just been trophified. "Ganon…why…?"</em>
</p><p><em>Tabuu recovered from the Gerudo king's assault much faster than anybody had anticipated. </em>"I appreciate the effort…"<em> He regarded the trophy with a calculating eye. His wings gradually became more corporeal as he slowly hovered around the trophy like a lion circling its prey.</em> "But in the end…you failed. Look at where you are now."<em> In a mockingly somber voice, he said,</em> "You were a fool for believing that the efforts of one being—simply <em>one</em> being—would have been enough to defeat <em>me</em>, your former master. Had you not dared to betray me, perhaps you could have made great progress,"<em> he finished with a harsh laugh.</em></p><p>"Oh, but I am terribly sorry to inform you that anyone in the right mind would most <em>definitely</em> dare to betray you!"</p><p>
  <em>Two massive shapes loomed out of nowhere and latched themselves onto Tabuu.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Captain Falcon was astonished. "Hey!" he exclaimed. "Those are the Hands!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The left hand, Crazy Hand<a href="#crazysubspace" id="crazysubspaceback" name="crazysubspaceback"><sup>1</sup></a>, had all five of his fingers wrapped around Tabuu's body; his brother, the right hand called Master Hand, had a fistful of the Subspace entity's multicolored wings, preventing the latter from unleashing any Off Waves to take down the exhausted, ragtag band of fighters.</em>
</p><p><em>Tabuu was shocked and enraged. </em>"Wh-what is the meaning of this?!"<em> he demanded. </em>"Release me at once!"</p><p>"Ooh! Ooooh! Let me think about it."<em> Crazy Hand paused momentarily, as though he were deep in thought. </em>"Ummm, NOOOOPE!"<em> His high, grating voice, which normally irritated anyone around him, somehow comforted the broken fighters lying on the ground. It gave them hope. </em>"Let's <em>do</em> this, Mastah!"<em> he yelled at the other hand</em>.</p><p>"And do this we shall,"<em> replied Master Hand as he maintained his hold on Tabuu's wings. </em>"But, my dear brother, we now have the fortune of being allies with these very perseverant fighters here. Perhaps we ought to cooperate." <em>Then he cried, </em>"Now, everybody! <em>NOW!</em>"</p><p>
  <em>With a sudden surge of newfound energy, Ike rose to his feet and began to run. The golden, arrow-shaped blade of his sword, Ragnell, emitted orange sparks as it dragged across the glass-like ground. Tabuu screamed, but Master Hand and Crazy Hand made sure not to let him retaliate in any way. Ike leaped high into the air, and for a moment, it appeared as though the laws of gravity had no effect on him. All of a sudden, Tabuu managed to break free of his restraints, hurling Master Hand and Crazy Hand onto the ground as he did.</em>
</p><p>"I WILL KILL YOU!"<em> roared the Subspace entity as he flew after Ike. There was an air of desperation to his usually calm telepathic voice. He spread his wings. </em>"I WILL ERASE YOU FROM THE FACES OF ALL THE WORLDS!"</p><p><em>"Think again!" spat Ike in reply as raised Ragnell high above his head. "</em><em>None of us can </em>ever<em> forgive you for what you've done to our worlds…our homes…and our friends! It's </em>your<em> turn to die!"</em></p><p>
  <em>Without a second thought, Meta Knight swung Galaxia downward and launched a Sword Beam<a href="#smashmoves" id="smashmovesback" name="smashmovesback"><sup>2</sup></a> at Tabuu. Samus aimed her gun, the Paralyzer, at the Subspace entity, and pulled the trigger…and so did Falco on his Blaster, Captain Falcon on his pistol<a href="#weapons" id="weaponsback" name="weaponsback"><sup>2</sup></a>, and Snake on his missile launcher. Pikachu used Thunder, Lucario used Aura Sphere, and Lucas used PK Fire. All eight attacks struck Tabuu at once, immediately stopping him from letting loose an Off Wave. As Tabuu hovered in place, dazed and rendered immobile by the fighters' surprise attack, Ike began to speak.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"GREAT…"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ragnell's blade, blessed by a goddess from Ike's world, glowed brightly with holy power. There was a strange golden light in Ike's blue eyes.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"…AETHER!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>With a single swing, he brought the blade down on Tabuu. The golden blade, now shining white, cut deeply into the Subspace entity's body. Tabuu howled and writhed as Ike kept a firm grasp on Ragnell's grip. Then, abruptly overwhelmed with fatigue, the swordsman let go of his sword and fell freely toward the ground, only partially awake. Thinking quickly, Crazy Hand swooped under Ike and caught him, shrieking comically when Ike's sword plunged down a moment later and buried its blade in the glass-like ground. Tabuu screamed one more time, his body contorting with agony and flashing pale gold, and his distorted figure quickly faded into nothingness. One final shockwave rippled across the battlefield and beyond…and all was quiet.</em>
</p><p><em>…Almost </em>too<em> quiet.</em></p><p>
  <em>With bated breath, the fighters waited.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And waited.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And waited.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"…Did we do it?" whispered Meta Knight, the sudden silence deeply unsettling him. The Subspace entity had finally been defeated for good, it seemed. "Just like…that?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Samus wanted to wonder, too, but at that moment, she looked toward the sky and was shocked to see a tiny black hole where Tabuu had been. The hole was beginning to suck up everything and grew larger with every passing moment. "Hey!" she shouted. "We need to get out of here before this place destabilizes too much!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm getting the Falcon Flyer," said Captain Falcon, springing to his feet as if he hadn't just fought an extremely grueling battle against the very embodiment of the realm of Subspace.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Already one step ahead of ya," Falco told him before gesturing toward the Arwing that had just landed nearby. The F-Zero pilot just shrugged and continued to call for his Falcon Flyer.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"All right, everyone—let's start untrophifying those trophies and tell them to help us revive whoever's left!" ordered Snake. "And tell Olimar to get his Hocotate Ship!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>With a scurry of movement, everybody who was still conscious, save for Ike and Crazy Hand, rushed to summon their aircraft and revive the fallen fighters. The moment the blue hedgehog named Sonic had been revived, he hurtled around as fast as he could to untrophify his fellow fighters and inform them of the current situation as told by Pikachu. Within a few minutes, all of the fighters were aboard the various starships and flying out of the collapsing Subspace, led by Master Hand and Crazy Hand. Ike blearily opened his eyes to peer through the green-tinted windshield of Samus' Gunship.</em>
</p><p>I hope…that's the last of this place…that I'll ever see,<em> he thought weakly, and he closed his eyes again.</em></p>
<hr/><p>Three months later…everything was back to as it was before the Subspace Incident began.</p><p>Subspace. It was a chaotic dimension that contained nothing but smoky black and purple skies, glass-like surfaces, and a multitude of creatures that were part of the Subspace Army, the population of which was thought to be infinite at best.</p><p>Just three months ago, they had united into a team that had fought against the leader of the Subspace Army, Tabuu.</p><p>Before this battle, they had faced countless enemies from common Primids to vicious Greaps. When they first set their eyes on Tabuu, they hadn't expected to be almost instantly transformed into trophies—a process known as trophification—by the deadly Off Waves that emanated from his vivid wings. Fortunately, a few of them were able to regain their normal forms, thanks to a special brooch designed by a penguin king from Dream Land. The surviving fighters traveled through a vast maze of worlds that Tabuu had created, collecting the trophies that were their fallen allies and clashing with their Subspatial clones, the sinister Falses.</p><p>At long last, everybody rejoined as a single team and faced Tabuu again, this time with several more allies who had previously been tricked by Tabuu into following him and doing his dirty work—a Koopa king, a Gerudo king, a greedy treasure hunter, and two telepathic hands. They thought they were prepared this time.

</p><p>These thoughts were dashed as Tabuu once again trophified them with his Off Waves.</p><p>Or rather…he would have trophified them if it hadn't been for a blue hedgehog who had arrived at the last possible second. He tore through Tabuu's wings at supersonic speed, rendering him unable to reduce the fighters into helpless trophies. The fighters now had another chance to take a stand.</p><p>The ultimate battle was a hellish one. Many fighters were trophified as it dragged on. But when they were about to drop down with fatigue, one fighter—a blue-haired swordsman who wielded a golden longsword in one hand—plunged the blade deep into Tabuu's chest, killing the Subspatial entity.</p><p>Tabuu and the Subspace Army were finally defeated. Everyone was free to go home.</p><p>But…where <em>was</em> home? They had all been away from their homes for so long that it was nearly impossible to return to their normal lives prior to the Subspace Incident, as the long-lasting conflict with the Subspace Army had come to be known as. Some cautious fighters believed that they would jeopardize the safety of their worlds if they returned—even though the Subspace Army's leader was gone, there was no telling if the Army itself was still out there, and if some of it <em>was</em> there, it would definitely target the fighters and their homes.</p><p>Then one of the two hands suggested creating a new home for all of them in a peaceful world. There, the fighters could stay together and train with each other in case a threat like the Subspace Army ever reared its ugly head in the future. After some consideration, everybody agreed to this proposal.</p><p>So the fighters traveled to distant worlds, restoring whatever the Subspace Army had destroyed and introducing new friends to old friends, as well as letting everybody know that they would be gone for a while to keep all the worlds safe from harm. Eventually, they returned to their new home world, where the two hands had finished their project.</p><p><em>"Welcome to the Smash World,"</em> one of the hands told them proudly, <em>"and to your new home."</em></p><p>They had constructed a grand estate that became collectively known as the Smash Mansion, located in the heart of a vibrant town called Smashville. The Smash Mansion—as well as Smashville itself—became home to the courageous fighters who were now no longer known as merely a large, ragtag band of fighters.</p><p>They were the Super Smash Brothers.</p><p>Now it was Sunday, the last day of another long week, and the Smashers were certainly feeling it. Because there were no Brawls scheduled for the weekends, everyone was relaxing in various places around the Smash Mansion. Some were watching movies in the movie theater, others were playing video games elsewhere, and still others were sleeping soundly in their rooms. A few Smashers were shopping or simply wandering around in Smashville Plaza.</p><p>In the case of Falco Lombardi, he was sitting on the railing of the balcony on the front face of the Smash Mansion. The balcony was located on the fifth floor, making it the highest point of the mansion if one didn't count the roof<a href="#mansion" id="mansionback" name="mansionback"><sup>3</sup></a>. The avian Smasher allowed his legs to dangle freely in open space as his cerulean eyes focused on the evening sky. The sun was slowly setting, painting the sky with shades of red, yellow, blue, and purple.</p><p>"What's up, Falco?"</p><p>Falco turned his head slightly to see Fox McCloud stepping through the open sliding glass door that connected the balcony to the rest of the fifth floor. Fox shut the door to keep out any critters that would likely cause Princess Peach's fear of bugs to kick in at a very inconvenient time. "It's not like you to gaze at the sky like that," he said, chuckling lightly.</p><p>In response, Falco just sighed and crossed his arms. "Well…I've just been thinking," he said thoughtfully. "We fought and defeated the Subspace Army three months ago. It's only been three months…"</p><p>Fox's grin faded a little bit. "Oh…yeah…" he said. "You were one of the lucky few to stay untrophified until the very end. That explosion caught me and Diddy completely off guard. Remember that?" He scratched the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable. "Trophification is…<em>weird</em>…"</p><p>"Oh, for sure. But honestly, I still can't believe we managed to pull it all off!" remarked Falco with a snort. "I mean…Tabuu wasn't easy at all. If ya ask me, he was a <em>devil</em>. Those freaky wings and…" He shuddered, unable to continue.</p><p>"Well, it's a good thing he's not coming back anytime soon." Fox joined his friend on the balcony's railing. "I'm really grateful for everything, you know," he then said very truthfully. "While I was fighting…I felt like giving up. It seemed like whatever I was doing just wasn't having any effect on Tabuu." He smiled ruefully. "I was such an idiot back there. You can't deny it."</p><p>Falco suddenly stared levelly at the vulpine. "Call yourself an idiot one more time," he said very seriously, "and I will kick you right off this balcony."</p><p>Fox just laughed. "All right, I'm sorry for doubting myself!" He looked toward Smashville Plaza and could just make out the shapes of Marth and Ike walking along the path that led back to the Smash Mansion. He noted that Ike looked very well, a vast improvement compared to just a few weeks ago. The Crimean swordsman, who had dealt the final blow to Tabuu, had suffered the some of the most injuries out of all the Smashers and had been in a coma for a while. After finally waking up, the swordsman recovered at a miraculous rate and was out of bed within a week. "Huh… Just look at that, Falco." The vulpine pointed toward the two swordsmen. "Ike doesn't look like he'd fought and defeated the leader of the Subspace Army less than a hundred days ago."</p><p>"I know, right?" Falco greatly respected the swordsman for his strength and charisma. From what he had heard, Ike was the leader of a large group of mercenaries in his homeland and was known to be very kind and humble. "I can't really believe it, either. It's a good thing Crazy Hand caught him after he fell. He would've been more hurt if he hadn't."</p><p>"That glove can be full of surprises, eh?" said Fox with a smirk. "He's weird, but I know he's a good guy deep down."</p><p>Falco frowned.</p><p>"What's with that look?"</p><p>"…Crazy Hand…and Master Hand, too." The avian gave Fox an unsure glance. "They're hands, aren't they?"</p><p>Fox was startled. "What? I think they're gloves. I thought they were gloves ever since I first saw 'em."</p><p>"That can't be right. I swear they're just hands."</p><p>"What do you swear by?"</p><p>"My instincts? My gut? The fact that their names even include the word 'Hand'?" Falco shrugged. "Look, I just <em>know</em> they're both hands."</p><p>"Well, <em>my</em> gut tells me that they're gloves," Fox defended himself.</p><p>"Bet you 100 G that they're hands."</p><p>"Deal."</p><p>The two Smashers shook hands.</p>
<hr/><p>"Noooo, Kirby!" screamed Princess Peach desperately. "Those are all the pies for dessert!"</p><p>As usual, however, she was too late, and before she knew it, the pink puffball had already swallowed all twenty pies whole. "Yum!" he exclaimed. "It's apple pie. My favorite!"</p><p>Peach sank to the ground, looking dismayed. "Oh, Kirby," she moaned, "that's the fifth time in two days that you've done this! Those pies were supposed to be today's dessert for <em>everyone</em>, not just you! Can't you be a little more considerate of others?"</p><p>King Dedede, who was sitting on a stool in one corner of the kitchen, laughed jovially. "Don't even try to talk him out of it, princess!" he said. "He can't help it. He was born like that!"</p><p>Meta Knight continued to silently read today's newspaper. He turned a page.</p><p>"I can't believe you and Meta Knight were able to deal with him for more than three <em>years</em>, let alone three months!" said Peach as she glared after Kirby, who was happily skipping out of the kitchen in search of more unguarded food. "I have so many questions. What made him this way? How does eat so much? <em>Why</em> does he eat so much? How big is his stomach?"</p><p>"Well, I did say he was born like that," King Dedede said. "His stomach probably doesn't even have a definite size. It's just a big black hole that can take in anything that isn't too heavy or too big for Kirby's mouth." He looked a little dreamy as he remembered the old times. "I used to see him swallowing stone blocks like they were nothing! That's his way of getting rid of obstacles."</p><p>"…He…<em>eats</em> them…?"</p><p>"Yup!"</p><p>"…Can't he just…run around them or something?"</p><p>"I'll have ya know that Kirby ain't a fan of running! And it's not just because he's kinda on the wide side!"</p><p>"…So he just…<em>eats</em>…the obstacles?"</p><p>"Yup!"</p><p>Meta Knight turned a page.</p><p>Peach looked shocked, if not a little frightened. "…Oh my. That's…pretty scary, actually."</p><p>King Dedede nodded in agreement. "Yeah…nothing gets in his way. Put a bomb in front of him and he'll just eat it and swallow it. Put some fire in the way and he'll just fly over it. Put a load of enemies in his way and he'll just eat one and spit him out to knock out the other guys like they're a bunch of bowling pins. Crazy, huh?"</p><p>"You seem to be very familiar with Kirby."</p><p>"Ohoho! Well, uh…" The penguin blushed a little and scratched the back of his head. "…since I used to be one of his biggest enemies, I've witnessed his abilities firsthand, wayyyy before the thing with the Subspace Army. Wanna hear something that'll blow your mind? One time, he swallowed part of a hot-air balloon and got some cute little form that let him fly faster than the speed of sound<a href="#jetkirby" id="jetkirbyback" name="jetkirbyback"><sup>4</sup></a>!"</p><p>The Mushroom Kingdom princess shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe it… It looks like I still have a lot of things to learn about your friend."</p><p>King Dedede's face grew dark. "I'm not really sure if you can call him a <em>friend</em> of mine, even after all this time," he said in a quieter voice. "He and I really started off on the wrong foot. So did Meta Knight."</p><p>Meta Knight turned a page.</p><p>"And what the <em>heck</em> is so darn interesting about that newspaper, Meta?" the penguin king suddenly asked. "You haven't spoken a single word yet."</p><p>Meta Knight turned a page. Then he got up from his chair and walked out of the kitchen.</p><p>King Dedede made a face at the small knight's retreating figure. "Some fun guy you are, eh?" he commented, sounding slightly peeved. "You haven't changed at all, I swear. Hey, get back here! I'm not done talking to you!"</p><p>Without turning to face the penguin or even moving his yellow eyes away from his newspaper, Meta Knight calmly said, "If you wish to continue your discussion, please move on to a topic of much more significance."</p><p>Peach giggled as King Dedede began to whine about how whatever he was talking about was already full of significance because he was the king of Dream Land, and anything kings talked about was significant.</p><p>"By the way, Princess," Meta Knight then said, still looking at his newspaper, "consider putting some hot peppers in one of the deserts tonight. Perhaps this will at least bring a temporary solution to your problem." Before Peach could say anything, the knight was already walking away.</p><p>"…Hah… Peppers…"</p><p>The princess saw that King Dedede was snickering. "Sometimes, I really hate that guy," he said, waving to where Meta Knight had been a few seconds ago. "I mean, just check out that snobbish attitude! But in the end, the things he says usually turn out to be pretty life-saving."</p><p>"…Usually?" repeated Peach with a questioning tone.</p><p>The penguin didn't answer the princess' question as he then said, "Put some peppers in one of Kirby's pies for tonight. That should teach him not to eat up our dessert without permission." He cackled at his brilliant plan.</p><p>Peach chuckled again. "Good idea!" She opened her cookbook. "All right, for the pie's crust, we'll need…" She began to read the ingredients. "…two cups of flour, one teaspoon of salt, three-fourths of a stick of unsalted butter, five tablespoons of apple cider, one egg, milk, and sugar and cinnamon mix. For the filling, we'll need two tablespoons of lemon juice, one-third cup of white sugar, one-third cup of brown sugar, one-fourth teaspoon of salt, three tablespoons of flour, half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder, eight McIntosh apples…" She slammed the book shut and smiled. "…and let's not forget those twenty red-hot chili peppers!"</p>
<hr/><p>The Pokémon Smashers' room was awkwardly silent. That was because Pikachu and Jigglypuff had, for the tenth time in three weeks, decided to attempt to make a pyramid out of playing cards.</p><p>The scene looked the same as it did last time and the time before that and so on: Red the Pokémon Trainer—the only human member of the Smashers who came from worlds inhabited by Pokémon—was lying on his bed, writing a new entry in his journal. Ivysaur was next to Red, watching him write. Charizard was sitting in a corner of the room and eating an entire roast chicken. Squirtle lay spread-eagled on the ground, fast asleep. Lucario, also asleep, lay on the floor with a board on his stomach, using Squirtle as a pillow. The board was covered by a thin blanket and had a nearly-complete card pyramid sitting in the center. Pikachu and Jigglypuff, who held two cards in her stubby hands, were carefully examining the pyramid. Pikachu and Jigglypuff had made much more progress than they had last time, which surprised them somewhat. The card pyramid now only needed two more cards to top it off…literally.</p><p>Jigglypuff handed her cards to Pikachu. The Mouse Pokémon took them and quickly glanced down at Lucario. The Aura Pokémon hadn't moved at all ever since he allowed the two younger Pokémon to use him as a table. He was one of the few Smashers who anyone could trust with practically anything, from keeping extremely personal secrets to acting as a live target for target practice. Pikachu had no idea how Lucario was able to deal with all of this, but he didn't want to think about it right now because he and Jigglypuff had a card pyramid to finish.</p><p>The pyramid was about two feet tall and currently had a single card lying flat at the top. To finish it, Pikachu had to set down the two final cards on top of that card to form the tip of the card pyramid. The Mouse Pokémon felt extremely nervous—the cards were slick and his paws felt sweaty. One wrong move and the entire pyramid could come crashing down. Gulping audibly, he slowly moved forward with the two remaining cards. He had never felt so skittish before—except perhaps during the Subspace Incident, but that was an entirely different event. Back then, he had been forced to fight for his life and freedom. Now, Pikachu was being forced to finish building a house of cards.</p><p>The Mouse Pokémon cautiously stood on his toes and raised his paws. He was shaking uncontrollably, and so was Jigglypuff, who was watching Pikachu from the other side of the card pyramid. Red continued to focus on his journal, unaware of what was happening at his bedside, and was now writing about what he had done this afternoon.</p><p>At that moment, Charizard finished eating his roast chicken and let out a tremendous burp. Red's eyes narrowed a little, while Ivysaur slapped the Flame Pokémon with one of his vines. Neither Squirtle nor Lucario made any movement, though the latter's left ear twitched. Instantly, both Pikachu and Jigglypuff froze, expecting the card pyramid to fall. Luckily, it didn't, so they let out quiet sighs of relief.</p><p>All of a sudden, Squirtle sneezed, making Lucario jump in surprise. Pikachu dropped his cards and nearly fainted when he saw the pyramid wiggle insecurely on the board; Jigglypuff's mouth fell open and she silently panicked. After what felt like a decade, the pyramid finally stopped trembling, and Pikachu and Jigglypuff breathed normally again. Somehow, Lucario remained sleeping, and after a few seconds, Squirtle fell back asleep. Soon, the Tiny Turtle Pokémon was snoring gently. Red kept writing, Ivysaur kept watching him, and Charizard wished he had another roast chicken because he was still very hungry.</p><p>The two remaining playing cards lay on the ground at Pikachu's feet. The Mouse Pokémon picked them up, looked at them, and shook his head. It was apparent that he didn't want to try putting the final cards on top of the card pyramid and risk knocking the entire structure over. And besides, it turned out that he was just a little too short. Jigglypuff sighed and, somewhat reluctantly, held out her hand and offered to finish the pyramid. Pikachu eagerly handed the cards over to the Balloon Pokémon, who then puffed herself up and slowly floated upward. She cautiously hovered over the pyramid…and that was when she noticed two vines poking through the holes of the pyramid.</p><p>Ivysaur had quickly grown bored of watching Red write in his journal. Unable to help the Trainer, he decided to entertain himself by tickling Squirtle's nose with his vines. The Tiny Turtle Pokémon didn't wake up, but it was clear that he was going to at any moment. Jigglypuff instantly deflated herself and returned to the ground, panicking again. Pikachu's eyes grew huge with fear when he saw how dangerously close Ivysaur's vines were to the cards that made up the pyramid. He quickly went to Red's bed and waved wildly at the incomplete card pyramid. Ivysaur just shrugged, but he willingly withdrew his vines and stopped poking at Squirtle. Pikachu and Jigglypuff sighed in relief again. Jigglypuff steeled herself by inhaling deeply and inflated her balloon-like body to fly over the card pyramid. Pikachu's teeth rattled noisily as he watched the Balloon Pokémon with some trepidation.</p><p>Then the door abruptly flew open, and several things happened at once.</p><p>Red finished writing and groaned when he felt his hand cramp up.</p><p>Ivysaur rolled his eyes at the Trainer.</p><p>Charizard regurgitated some half-digested chicken bones.</p><p>Squirtle sneezed again.</p><p>Lucario woke up with a start.</p><p>The blanket on the board on his stomach slid off the board.</p><p>The board tilted and fell over.</p><p>The card pyramid was blown away by the rush of wind that the door had created when it opened, and all the cards lay scattered on the floor.</p><p>Pikachu and Jigglypuff's jaws hit the floor at the same time…again.</p><p>Solid Snake stood in the doorway of the Pokémon Smashers' room and looked very, very confused.</p><p>One glance at the floor was enough to tell the mercenary the whole story, though. He had heard rumors of two Smashers attempting to construct a pyramid out of playing cards for the past three weeks. Lucario, who was now fully awake, looked at him and gave him a sheepish smile, while Pikachu and Jigglypuff's jaws remained on the floor. Snake looked at Lucario, then at Pikachu and Jigglypuff, then at the mess of cards, and finally back at Lucario. He placed his right hand over his eyes and shook his head in exasperation. Pikachu and Jigglypuff quickly scuttled out of the way of the formidable-looking man when he walked into the room and sat on the floor to face Lucario. Then he picked up all the cards and tidied them into a neat stack, which he split in half before giving one portion to the Aura Pokémon.</p><p>Charizard, in the meantime, had retched up a small pile of chicken bones, which Squirtle looked at with disgust. Ivysaur rolled his eyes toward the ceiling, as did Red.</p><p>Lucario placed the thin blanket back on the board, which he put over his legs. Snake nodded at him wordlessly and proceeded to build the bottom row of a card pyramid. Lucario constructed the next row, and Snake did the next one. They continued until all that was left were two cards that Lucario was holding. Neither of them ever paused or hesitated. Before either Pikachu or Jigglypuff could blink, the Aura Pokémon had already placed the final two cards on top of a single horizontal card, thus completing the card pyramid that the Mouse Pokémon and Balloon Pokémon had spent so long and tried so many times to create. Lucario carefully lifted the board from his legs and put it on the floor; none of the cards that made up the pyramid shook even once. Pikachu glanced at the wall to check to the time and was astounded to discover that Lucario and Snake had finished the card pyramid in less than two minutes.</p><p>Lucario stood up and stretched his arms, looking victorious. Snake clapped a hand on his shoulder. The Aura Pokémon smiled at the mercenary and, without saying anything at all, exited the room with him and went down the stairs to get ready for dinner. Both of them were grinning broadly.</p><p>Pikachu and Jigglypuff just looked at each other in disappointment, while Charizard coughed and spat out another chicken bone.</p>
<hr/><p>Behind the imposing Smash Mansion was an equally impressive courtyard that included a large clearing for sparring. It was just a big piece of paved ground that was surrounded by some bushes. Master Hand, knowing that chatting wasn't everyone's thing, thought that a good way for the Smashers to know each other better was to have them occasionally have duels with one another. Link and Pit both found Master Hand's idea turned out to be a very good one, as only three months had passed and they were already very good friends, despite coming from completely different worlds. Ike and Marth usually joined the dueling sessions, but they were busy with some other things tonight, leaving the Hylian and the angel to themselves to spar.</p><p>"So, in your world…" Link swung his Master Sword at Pit, who nimbly jumped over it. "…the gods and goddesses are very casual?"</p><p>"Yeah, for the most part!" Pit sidestepped a thrust from the Hylian Smasher. He countered by firing an arrow of light that missed Link and dissipated into thin air. "Compared to <em>your</em> gods and goddesses…I'd say mine are way more easygoing."</p><p>Link ducked beneath the angel's bow to dodge an attack. "Hm. Interesting." He kicked at the angel and managed to score a small hit. Pit winced when Link's foot connected with his shin, and he quickly hopped away. "I'd like to visit your world someday…just to see what it's like."</p><p>"Same!" said Pit as he split his bow into two curved blades and slashed at Link, who parried with his sword. "Your world sounds cool! You know, I really wanna see a Deku Baba!"</p><p>Link grimaced when he heard this. "…Are you sure you'd be fine with extremely vicious carnivorous plants?"</p><p>"Ha! Totally!" Pit's happy tone was genuine. "In fact, I'm not worried at all. The only thing I'm <em>not</em> okay with is an Eggplant Wizard!"</p><p>Link paused to stare at the angel oddly. "…Eggplant…Wizard…?" he repeated slowly.</p><p>"Yep. Basically, it's a wizard who can…uhhh…" Pit lowered his swords and suddenly looked a little terrified. "Bad memories, Link… Ugh, I shouldn't have brought that up."</p><p>"But what exactly <em>is</em> an Eggplant Wizard?"</p><p>"This weirdo that can turn you into an eggplant. Seriously!"</p><p>Link just looked more puzzled. "What's an eggplant? Some kind of plant that grows…eggs?"</p><p>"What?! No! It's not like that at all!"</p><p>It was evident that the two Smashers' dueling session had ended, so they proceeded to leave the sparring area while continuing to chat.</p><p>"An eggplant is this oval-shaped fruit that has dark purple skin. Many are egg-shaped, so I think that explains the name. Supposedly, it tastes really good, but…personally, I hate it. Probably because of the whole Eggplant Wizard thing…" Pit poked at Link. "Hey, you know what? I'll go down to Smashville Plaza tomorrow to see if the market has any eggplants so I can show you one. I actually never bothered to check. But <em>wow</em>, Link—you really don't know what an eggplant is?"</p><p>Link shrugged and replied, "Well, I suppose you telling me about eggplants is like me telling you about hawk grass."</p><p>"Hawk grass? What's that?"</p><p>The Hylian Smasher smiled. "Case in point."</p><p>Pit rolled his eyes and groaned.</p><p>"Hawk grass is…well, grass for hawks," Link explained. "<em>Summoning</em> hawks, that is…and then telling them to do certain things for you, like retrieving items that you can't reach. Then there's another type of grass called horse grass."</p><p>Pit held up his hand. "Wait, lemme guess. Horse grass summons…a horse?"</p><p>"Spot on, Pit. But it only works on my own horse, Epona. I haven't yet had the opportunity to encounter a wild horse, so I don't know if horse grass has any effect on horses that aren't my own…"</p><p>"You have a horse?! Wow! That's so cool! Can I see him right now?"</p><p>"Epona is female, and…unfortunately, you can't. I had to leave her behind when we were ambushed by the Subspace Army. It was just too dangerous."</p><p>"…Oh." Pit's wings drooped. "That's too bad. You got me all excited for a bit."</p><p>Link smiled apologetically. "Well, I'll do my best to introduce you to Epona as soon as possible. I'm sure she'll like you."</p><p>"Mmm, I hope so!" said Pit agreeably, his cheerful attitude quickly returning.</p><p>Just then, Toon Link walked past the two swordsmen, carrying his bow and a quiver full of arrows. He headed straight for the shooting range, which already had several targets set up, and stopped at the shooting area. He removed one arrow from the quiver that was slung over his shoulder and gave one of the targets a sour look. Then he nocked the arrow on his bow and drew the string back, took aim, and released. The arrow cut through the air and landed near the bottom edge of the target. Toon Link pursed his lips in annoyance.</p><p>Link gently poked Pit and tilted his head in Toon Link's direction. Pit noticed that the cartoon Hylian was doing target practice and that all the arrows he had shot so far weren't very close to the center. He nodded in understanding and reentered the Smash Mansion alone, while Link went to his younger counterpart. He observed the arrows on the target.</p><p>"I don't think you're drawing back enough, Toon," he said. "Put a little more strength into it. Or…" He took out his own bow and set an arrow. "…aim higher."</p><p>Link took a firm stance and drew the string back. Toon Link noticed that he was drawing the string as far as he usually did, and that he appeared to be aiming somewhere above the target. He held his position for a moment, and then he loosened smoothly. The arrow hit the target dead center. It stood out like a beacon among Toon Link's arrows, which were stuck in every part of the target except the bullseye.</p><p>"And again."</p><p>Link nocked another arrow. This time, he aimed straight at the target and pulled the string farther back than before. He let the arrow fly; the projectile landed right next to his previous arrow, but it was still within the small area of the bullseye.</p><p>Toon Link stood there in open-mouthed astonishment. Link just smiled encouragingly at the cartoon Hylian and stood behind him, and he waited patiently. The cartoon Hylian looked at the target nervously, staring at its center. Almost carefully, he brought up his bow and set an arrow in place. He ignored everything around him—it was now just him and the center of the target. He closed his cat-like eyes for a moment and slowly pulled the bowstring farther until he was sure it was on the verge of snapping. And then he opened his eyes and released.</p><p>The shaft of Link's arrow, whose head was still buried in the bullseye, split in half as Toon Link's arrow sliced right through it and landed in the target's center.</p><p>Link had a wide grin of satisfaction upon his face. "Do you get it now?" he asked gently.</p><p>Toon Link nodded slowly. "Yeah," he said. "I think so."</p><p>"And why did it happen?"</p><p>The cartoon Hylian pulled another arrow out of his quiver and put it on his bow. "Before I drew my arrow back," he answered confidently as he took aim, "it was already in the center of the target!"</p>
<hr/><p>Popo and Nana, the Ice Climber twins, were sitting at their desk, scouring the internet for funny comics about the Super Smash Brothers. Since the Smashers were so famous nowadays, it was easy to find all kinds of comics about one, a few, or all of them.</p><p>"Hey, here's another good one," Nana said, tugging at her brother's parka.</p><p>Popo stared at it for a moment. Then he burst out laughing.</p><p>"<em>Ohhhhh</em>, I get it!" he said. "You know how Lucario has that ability with the 'high risk, high return' thing? So Lucario blew himself up with a Smart Bomb so he could have lots of damage<a href="#awkzomb" id="awkzombback" name="awkzombback"><sup>5</sup></a>! And when he has lots of damage…"</p><p>"…his moves deal more damage!" finished Nana. She had seen Lucario defeat Primids and Floows and even enraged Towtows with a single Aura Sphere when his damage was dangerously high.</p><p>"But there <em>is</em> a bad thing to it," said Popo. "When he's got a lot of damage, he's more vulnerable, too!"</p><p>"Yeah." Nana sighed a little sadly. "I remember him telling me that he—"</p><p>Popo put his hand on Nana's mouth. "<em>Shhh!</em> Do you hear that?"</p><p>Somewhere downstairs, there were a lot of loud voices.</p><p>"…destroyed my pot?!" somebody shrieked. It sounded like Kirby. "I was still cooking some vegetable soup!"</p><p>"I bet Crazy Hand did it!" somebody shouted back—probably Pit.</p><p>"Fix it! FIX IT!"</p><p>"But I have no idea how to fix pots…"</p><p>"Oh, <em>I</em> did that!" said Toon Link's voice. He sounded very apologetic. "I'm so sorry! I was doing target practice!"</p><p>"…Then how did your arrow end up all the way over <em>here</em>?" Kirby asked very cautiously.</p><p>"He got overconfident." Now Link was speaking. "He scored a few bullseyes in succession…until now."</p><p>"And I decided to use a bomb arrow, which was probably the first wrong thing. But what a coincidence that Crazy Hand was passing by at the exact same time… Maybe I should blame it on him."</p><p>"Kirby, do you think you can make another pot of soup before dinner?"</p><p>"B-but Link, dinner is in less than an hour!"</p><p>"Ah, don't worry. I'll help. But let's get your pot fixed first."</p><p>"That's a good idea. Just one problem, though. Who here knows how to fix pots?!"</p><p>
  <em>"Wait a moment! Allow me!"</em>
</p><p>The booming, telepathic voice seemed to echo through every floor of the Smash Mansion. Popo and Nana immediately knew that it belonged to Master Hand.</p><p>"Master Hand can fix Kirby's pot in no time flat!" Nana exclaimed. "With a snap of his fingers, it's done!"</p><p>Right after she said this, the siblings heard the very audible sound of a large pair of fingers snapping from the first floor.</p><p>"Yay! Thanks, Master Hand!" cheered Kirby's voice.</p><p><em>"It was nothing, Kirby,"</em> replied the telepathic voice of the hand. <em>I suggest that you move your pot to a safer area next time."</em></p><p>"…But…there <em>are</em> no safer areas in the Smash Mansion…"</p><p>Popo whooped excitedly. "Just as you said it!" he said. "<em>Snap!</em> And it's done in the blink of an eye!"</p><p><em>"Now that your pot has been repaired, I must return to my office,"</em> the Ice Climbers heard Master Hand say.<em> "I have a lot of paperwork to do. Good evening, everybody."</em></p><p>"Um…excuse me, Master Hand?"</p><p>
  <em>"Yes, Toon Link?"</em>
</p><p>"What about the wall and everything within a ten-foot radius of Kirby's pot? They…er…kinda got blown up as well."</p><p>
  <em>"Ah…yes."</em>
</p><p>There was another loud snapping sound.</p><p><em>"That should do it. Toon Link, please refrain from using bomb arrows the next time you are doing target practice unless you explicitly know what you are doing. </em>Now<em> I must return to my office. Good evening, everybody. Please be on time for dinner, and please keep an eye out for Crazy Hand. Who knows what my fool of a brother could be up to at this moment…"</em></p><p>Nana turned to Popo. "Wow, Master Hand is so <em>cool</em>, right, Popo?" she said. "He can fix things in a split second when it could take us, like, several hours or days!"</p><p>Her brother nodded in agreement. "Yeah!" Then he frowned. "And speaking of breaking things…has there ever been a day when Crazy Hand <em>didn't</em> destroy anything?"</p><p>"Hm, I don't think so," said Nana. "He's so…well…<em>crazy</em>. It's probably impossible for him to <em>not</em> break something. He did something in the garden today, right?"</p><p>"I think he shot a missile at one of the trees… He said he was trying to knock down some cherries or something. And that doesn't make <em>any</em> sense at all because he could've just punched the tree or—" Popo stopped when he realized something. "Hey, wait a minute! He can fly! He could've flown up and picked the cherries! But he chose to shoot a <em>missile</em> at the tree! Wow, he's crazy!"</p><p>Nana giggled. "And do you remember what happened yesterday?"</p><p>"Um…<em>oh yeah</em>!" Popo grinned as he began to recount the story. "He went to Mr. Game Watch's room and gave GW a Party Ball…"</p><p>"And when he opened it, a bunch of Bob-ombs dropped out and blew up his room!"</p><p>"Right! But Crazy Hand didn't get blown up because he escaped just in time. He was laughing his…I dunno…<em>hand</em> off? It's supposed to be 'laughing his <em>head</em> off,' but he doesn't have a head. But anyway…Mr. Game Watch reported the incident to Master Hand, and boy, was he <em>mad</em> when he heard that!"</p><p>"And Crazy Hand immediately knew that he was in big trouble, so he teleported somewhere to hide…"</p><p>"Bad move, Crazy," Popo said sagely.</p><p>"Master Hand flew off to wherever Crazy Hand was and literally dragged him back to the Smash Mansion!"</p><p>"And he gave Crazy Hand a pretty harsh tongue-lashing…even though he doesn't have a tongue…I think…? Gee, it's hard to use all these phrases when we're talking about giant, intelligent <em>hands</em>!"</p><p><em>"Hahahahaha!"</em> the Ice Climbers laughed.</p><p>At that moment, loud clanging sounded from somewhere downstairs. "All right, everybody!" It was Peach, who was smacking a pot with a wooden spoon to catch everyone's attention. "Dinner's ready! Come and get it!"</p><p>The door slammed heavily in the door frame as Popo and Nana zoomed out of their room and down the stairs…and it fell off its hinges.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p><a id="crazysubspace" name="crazysubspace"></a>1. Crazy Hand never appeared in <em>The Subspace Emissary</em>…so where did he come from if he's there to fight you in Classic Mode? I'm assuming that Tabuu took control of Crazy Hand as well as Master Hand, but the game programmers didn't throw in Crazy Hand because they didn't have enough time…or just because. <a href="#crazysubspaceback">Back</a></p><p><a id="smashmoves" name="smashmoves"></a>2. I'm fully aware that in <em>SSBB</em>, Meta Knight can't use Sword Beam and Captain Falcon never uses his gun, but sometimes, <em>SSBB</em> logic just won't apply to certain scenarios. <a href="#smashmovesback">Back</a></p><p><a id="mansion" name="mansion"></a>3. The Smash Mansion has seven floors including the two basements. Stairs and an elevator connect all seven floors. It's hard to describe the layout of a building without any visual guides, but…here I go!</p><p>The second-floor basement has several storage rooms for various things ranging from Christmas decorations to incendiary devices. It mainly serves as a hangar for all the aircraft, such as the Arwings and the Battleship Halberd. It extends a lot farther than any other floor of the Smash Mansion because it doubles as a runway for any aircraft that needs a runway. This basement cuts right through the hill that the Smash Mansion sits on. There's a huge door at the end for the aircraft to fly through, as well as a door on the ceiling through which Olimar's Hocotate Ship launches.</p><p>The first-floor basement sits on top of the second-floor basement. It has more storage rooms for more various things. It's also where the workshops for the tech whizzes (Slippy Toad, Tails the Fox, and so on) are. And it's where Master Hand locks up Crazy Hand and other Smash Mansion residents when they're misbehaving and he's having a bad day.</p><p>The first floor (the ground floor) is the floor that everybody walks through when they enter the mansion through its grand front doors. The foyer is pretty big. The dining hall is the largest room. This floor has a gym, a massive library, and a living room next to that. It's also where the Brawl Room is! The Brawl Room is where all the Smashers go to watch or prepare for Brawls—more on this in the following chapters. At the back of the Smash Mansion is a gigantic courtyard with a Pikmin garden, some normal gardens, a swimming pool, a hot tub, several courts for a variety of sports, lots of trees and bushes, a shooting range for projectile weapons like guns and bows, and a large clearing for sparring.</p><p>The second floor has another gym and movie theater that also serves as a giant video game room. Some Smash Mansion residents' rooms and Master Hand's office are on this floor, too. The residents are grouped by world of origin (i.e. video game series) and live in suites. The second floor also has a common room for gatherings.</p><p>The third and fourth floors each have a lounge, and together, they contain most of the residents' rooms. These floors each have a common room.</p><p>The fifth floor has the rest of the residents' rooms and an observatory. As stated in this chapter, there's also at least one balcony located along the fifth floor. This floor, too, has a common room.</p><p>And then there's the roof. There are no rules against going onto the roof, so there's usually at least one person up there. <a href="#mansionback">Back</a></p><p><a id="jetkirby" name="jetkirby"></a>4. This is a reference to one episode of the <em>Kirby</em> anime. I like to think of the events of the anime episodes as the incidents that happen in between each <em>Kirby</em> game, so I consider the anime to be partially canon. <a href="#jetkirbyback">Back</a></p><p><a id="awkzomb" name="awkzomb"></a>5. The comic that the Ice Climbers are reading is <a href="https://www.awkwardzombie.com/comic/sacrifice-play">"Sacrifice Play"</a> by Katie Tiedrich, the artist of the <em>Awkward Zombie</em> webcomic series. <a href="#awkzomb">Back</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Just Another Sunday Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Within this chapter are Legendary Pokémon galore, including the (mis)adventures of a Mew who simply can't avoid getting sugar rushes.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Italicized text indicates telepathic speech…or loud yelling. It should be easy to tell the difference.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In the end, Kirby was able to cook up a fresh pot of soup in time for dinner. Toon Link still felt rather bad for accidentally destroying the first pot, but it only told him that he needed to continue training. How embarrassing that the incident had to happen in front of the person who happened to <em>also</em> be him, however.</p><p>The cartoon Hylian thought it was very strange to live in the same building as his counterpart, the Hero of Twilight. It felt like one of them was living in the wrong era. Perhaps this applied to both of them. Then again, all the Smashers came from such a wide range of times that it probably didn't matter all that much.</p><p>Link came from a world that was the same as Toon Link's, but also vastly different. This world did not have the Great Sea that Toon Link had grown up with. In fact, the kingdom of Hyrule had never been submerged in the first place. Link spoke of a dark force called Twilight that had once threatened to steal all of Hyrule's light and transform its inhabitants into spirits. Ganondorf—the very same one who was currently a Smasher—had played a major role in this, and Link was tasked with stopping him and the spread of Twilight. He had managed to kill the dark king after several long and arduous battles, so seeing him alive and well during the Subspace Incident left him shocked and horrified.</p><p>"I just don't understand," he had said to Toon Link. "Both Zelda and I witnessed his death. And now Master Hand has apparently seen something in him to allow him to participate in daily activities with the two people he hates the most. We even live in the same <em>building</em> as that man. It's absurd! What in the world is Master Hand thinking?"</p><p>"Tell me about it," the cartoon Hylian had replied. "Now I'm feeling a little nervous about the Ganondorf in my world…"</p><p>The two Links got along with each other very well, which wasn't at all surprising to the other Smashers. They liked to tell each other about their old lives in their worlds. Toon Link was surprised to learn that Link had been raised as a ranch hand in a small village, while Link found it slightly incredulous that Toon Link was an accomplished sailor. Toon Link told many stories of his sister and grandmother and a girl named Tetra, all of whom he hoped to visit soon. Link felt the same about Rusl, his mentor and father figure who had trained him in swordfighting, and the other villagers of his hometown. They wondered what higher powers had allowed the two wielders of the Triforce of Courage to meet when they had never been destined to.</p><p>"It's just so <em>weird</em>," Toon Link was now saying to Link as they and all the other residents of the Smash Mansion walked into the dining hall. "Two Heroes at once? And two Triforces of Courage at once?! Do you think we could be breaking some divine law or something?"</p><p>Link just laughed. "I think some things are simply meant to be left unanswered. All that matters is that we're both here and the gods haven't smitten either of us yet. Come on, let's eat." He then went to pick up a plate and help himself to the food.</p><p>All meals at the Smash Mansion were served buffet-style in its large dining hall. The residents would walk around the food counters and take whatever they wanted before sitting down at one of the dining tables. There was nothing wrong with leaving the dining hall to eat, but almost everybody chose to convene there anyway, regardless of which meal it was for.</p><p>Master Hand always encouraged the residents to mingle, so that was what they did. Anthropomorphic animals chattered with Pokémon, humans from medieval and magical worlds sat next to humans from futuristic and more technologically advanced worlds, robots laughed with the people and creatures from the Mushroom Kingdom, and so on. Everyone learned more about their peers through their mealtime conversations, as well as several interesting facts and stories about the various worlds that they had come from. Those who knew their way around modern-day technology helped the more archaic residents become familiar with computers and other machinery; in return, the latter aided the former in becoming comfortable around magic and otherworldly creatures like fairies. The Pokémon Smashers had lots of fun introducing their new friends to the multitude of Pokémon, both ordinary and Legendary, that Master Hand had recruited to help in Brawls. Surprisingly enough, the Smasher called Solid Snake, who came from what he claimed to be a fairly ordinary world inhabited by mostly ordinary humans, already recognized several Pokémon and had no trouble getting to know the rest. He explained that in his world, there existed a <em>Pokémon</em> video game series that a close friend of his was very fond of. The other Smashers wondered how video games about the Smash Mansion residents themselves could exist in Snake's world when they didn't in <em>their</em> worlds. Snake never bothered to say anything about this, and when some curious Smashers went to ask Master Hand, the hand disregarded their concerns with a nonchalant wave and told them to continue doing whatever they had been doing before they barged into his office.</p><p>The Smash World was an amalgam of many universes. Creatures from all sorts of places lived and did business here, while many others came as tourists. Cities in the Smash World appeared to be modeled after those in other worlds—for example, Smashville looked much like Animal Crossing, the most famous town in the Wild World<a href="#wildworld" id="wildworldback" name="wildworldback"><sup>1</sup></a>, while a neighboring location called Bluespring<a href="#smashworld" id="smashworldback" name="smashworldback"><sup>2</sup></a> looked similar to Treasure Town, a quaint little place located in one Pokémon world unofficially called the Mystery Dungeon World<a href="#pmdworld" id="pmdworldback" name="pmdworldback"><sup>3</sup></a>.</p><p>"There are worlds <em>within</em> your world?" exclaimed Tails the Fox. The young, two-tailed fox had always been very fascinated by the mysteries of the universes and was eager to know more.</p><p>Red nodded. "Yeah! It's pretty interesting. Certain locations in my world are closely connected to alternate dimensions. I think it's because the separating force between my world and those worlds is a little weaker in those places, allowing some passage. Usually, though, entering those places requires certain items or Pokémon…but most of the time, all you need is the willingness to learn…and lots and lots and <em>lots</em> of patience. Your efforts will usually pay off, and you'll gain entry to those mysterious worlds."</p><p>Sonic the Hedgehog looked completely lost. Tails, however, was listening intently…</p><p>"Those alternate dimensions… Do they exist <em>because</em> of certain Pokémon? I guess what I'm trying to say is…were they created to give certain Pokémon homes that are unique to themselves? And are they inhabited by those Pokémon?"</p><p>…and he actually understood everything.</p><p>"I think so," said the Pokémon Trainer. "Let's talk about a Legendary Pokémon called Dialga. Dialga lives in its own dimension and can supposedly travel from its place to my world whenever it wants to. And there's a place in my world called Mt. Coronet, which is the tallest mountain in its region. Its peak is connected to a dimension known as the Distortion World. The Distortion World is basically a reflection of the real world and is home to a Legendary Pokémon called Giratina. But you wanna know something funny? Jigglypuff knows about Mt. Coronet…"</p><p>The Balloon Pokémon heard someone mention her name and turned to look at Red and Tails. "Oh yeah!" she said. "Mt. Coronet, right? That place is legendary!"</p><p>"…but if I asked Lucario about it, he'll say he's never heard of it," Red finished.</p><p>Sonic still had a blank look on his face. Tails' blue eyes suddenly lit up and he said, "Is he from some place where this mountain doesn't exist? Like…a completely different world of Pokémon?!"</p><p>"That's right! I come from a world with humans and Pokémon. It's called Earth. Jigglypuff is from the same world. There's another world with humans and Pokémon that is also called Earth, but it's different from ours. <em>That</em> world also has worlds within it. And I'm pretty sure there's a third world with humans and Pokémon<a href="#pkmnworld3" id="pkmnworld3back" name="pkmnworld3back"><sup>4</sup></a>. Then there's this other world I've heard of that is populated only by Pokémon—no humans at all—known as the Mystery Dungeon World because it has these things called mystery dungeons. Together, all those worlds are part of a universe inhabited by creatures called Pokémon."

</p><p>"That sounds a lot like <em>my</em> universe!" said Tails excitedly. "There are multiple worlds there, too. And my world is called Earth, too! It's weird how so many planets go by that name—"</p><p>He was interrupted by Bowser, who smacked the table with his enormous fists. "Stop talking already!" he snapped impatiently. "I'm trying to concentrate!"</p><p>"Concentrate on what?" asked Sonic, eager to focus on something that wasn't the intricacies of time and space. "Your dinner?"</p><p>"Exactly!"</p><p>"Try concentrating just a little more," Sonic suggested, glad that Bowser had inadvertently changed the topic. "Gotta watch that diet of yours, right?"</p><p>Several people chuckled at the snarky remark, while some others cried out in fright when the Koopa king tried to smack the hedgehog.</p><p>At another table, Mario and Falco were bragging about their various heroics.</p><p>"…and I'll have <em>you</em> know," the red-clad plumber was now saying, "that I've successfully rescued Peach from the clutches of evil no less than <em>twenty</em> times!"</p><p>"Oh yeah? If you ask me, that's nothing to write home about," said Falco with a snort. "Seems to me like you just gotta keep a better eye on your girl!"</p><p>The other Smash Mansion residents at the table—Fox, Lucario, Snake, Little Mac<a href="#littlemac" id="littlemacback" name="littlemacback"><sup>5</sup></a>, and Lyn—burst into a round of loud laughter. Mario's face turned as red as his clothes as he glanced away in embarrassment.</p><p>"Listen to <em>this</em>, bud," Falco then said, leaning over the table and shoving his beak into Mario's face. "I've saved way more than just one princess. I've saved entire <em>planets</em>, so that means I've saved <em>billions</em> of people." He paused for a moment before adding as an afterthought, "And this isn't really related, but I've obliterated a whole species of alien parasites, too."</p><p>Fox punched him.</p><p>"Okay, <em>fine</em>," groaned the avian Smasher as he threw his hands into the air. "Maybe I got just a <em>little</em> bit of help with saving entire planets and obliterating a whole species of alien parasites."</p><p>Fox punched him again.</p><p>"<em>Jeez</em>, Fox, lay off already, will ya? I already have bruises from when you kicked me off the balcony!"</p><p>"Watch your heads," Lucario suddenly announced, sensing a rapidly approaching aura.</p><p>Everybody at the table ducked to dodge a giant left hand that harmlessly flew over them and slammed into Bowser. The Koopa king roared angrily and Crazy Hand squealed in pain when he landed on the Smasher's spiky shell instead of his face, which he had intended. Bowser thrashed around and threw Crazy Hand onto the ground before preparing to incinerate him with a Fire Breath at point-blank range. Lyn shouted, "Oh no you won't!" and dived at Bowser. Then Lucas came out of nowhere<a href="#lucasnowhere" id="lucasnowhereback" name="lucasnowhereback"><sup>6</sup></a> and helped Lyn restrain the furious Koopa and prevent him from setting Crazy Hand—and possibly the entire dining hall or more—on fire. The psychic boy and the swordswoman managed to drag Bowser away from Crazy Hand and out of the room without wrecking anything. The Smash Mansion residents who noticed the whole ordeal looked at each other, chuckled nervously, and resumed eating.</p><p>"Dang, Lucario," said Little Mac through a mouthful of steak. "Were you really able to see Crazy Hand coming at us?"</p><p>Snake smirked and rapped a knuckle against Lucario's forehead. "He's a magical, blue, two-legged jackal thing with psychic powers who can shoot blue fireballs out of his paws. It goes without saying that he saw him coming."</p><p>"Oh, come on," said Lucario with a short laugh. "It's just a special ability that I have. I can sense auras. And I don't think I really have any magical or psychic powers."</p><p>"You said you could use telepathy, right? I'm sure that's a psychic thing."</p><p>"Well, if you say so…"</p><p>Meanwhile, R.O.B. and Mr. Game &amp; Watch had gone over to Crazy Hand and were currently berating him for possibly nearly destroying something—<em>again</em>. Deep down, both Smashers knew that words usually had absolutely no effect on the abnormally crazy left hand…unless it was Master Hand who was saying those words. However, the master of the Smash Mansion was probably still working in his office because he was nowhere to be seen. So they continued to shout at him.</p><p>"You might have hurt someone, too!" said R.O.B.</p><p><em>"I know!"</em> replied Crazy Hand.</p><p>"Or even killed someone," said Mr. Game &amp; Watch darkly.</p><p><em>"I know!"</em> replied Crazy Hand.</p><p>"And wrecked something for the second time today!" R.O.B. then added.</p><p><em>"I know!"</em> replied Crazy Hand.</p><p>"That wouldn't make Master Hand very happy," Mr. Game &amp; Watch remarked.</p><p><em>"I know!"</em> replied Crazy Hand.</p><p>"Too true," said R.O.B. with a nod. "Every day, there's <em>some</em>thing for him to fix. He must be tired of it."</p><p><em>"I know!"</em> replied Crazy Hand.</p><p>"I'll bet you anything that Master Hand's been sick of repairing stuff since day one of life in the Smash Mansion," Mr. Game &amp; Watch said.</p><p><em>"I know!"</em> replied Crazy Hand.</p><p>R.O.B. and Mr. Game &amp; Watch glowered at the hand. Simultaneously, they fried him with a fully charged Robo Beam and a Judge 6. Crazy Hand yelled something rude and zipped away…and flew through the wall.</p><p>"…Well," said R.O.B. after he and Mr. Game &amp; Watch took a few moments to stare at the Crazy Hand-shaped hole in the wall. "I guess Master Hand <em>does</em> have a second thing to fix today."</p><p>"At least it wasn't <em>our</em> fault," said his two-dimensional friend optimistically. "But still, I think we should get out of here before Master Hand finds out about it."</p><p>At a nearby table, Kirby began to choke on his eighth pie.</p><p>"Hey, Kirby?" asked Ness, concerned. "You all right?"</p><p>The pink puffball did not respond. Then smoke started leaking out from his mouth.</p><p>King Dedede, who was sitting across from Kirby, turned to Peach and grinned. "You didn't happen to put some super spicy curry in that pie, did you?" he asked pleasantly.</p><p>"Oh! No, I didn't use any curry at all!" replied the princess with a cheerful and innocent smile. "However, I might have <em>accidentally</em> added twenty red-hot chili peppers to its filling!"</p><p>Kirby's eyes widened in horror and shock. He immediately flew out of his seat and dashed into the kitchen. Everyone in the dining hall could hear the audible <em>splash</em> of Kirby leaping into his pot of soup—which, luckily for him, was still half full.</p><p>And at a food counter full of desserts, Meta Knight felt very pleased to see that Kirby hadn't eaten all the pies yet…for even the most solemn and mature knights couldn't resist Princess Peach's delicious apple pie.</p>
<hr/><p>After dinner, the residents of the Smash Mansion spent the rest of the evening doing whatever activities they wished to do. Fox and Falco went out in their Arwings to fly around Smashville and its neighboring cities. Sonic jogged around the mansion with an Assistant<a href="#assistant" id="assistantback" name="assistantback"><sup>7</sup></a> and fellow super-fast hedgehog named Shadow; the two hedgehogs were fierce rivals, so it wasn't unusual to hear them insulting each other as they ran. Tails would sometimes go with them, but tonight he said he was near the end of <em>Starwing</em><a href="#reallife" id="reallifeback" name="reallifeback"><sup>8</sup></a> and wanted to beat the game by bedtime. Link and Pit went back to the sparring area in the courtyard to have another duel, now accompanied by Ike and Marth. Toon Link and Samus Aran went to the shooting range to continue with their target practice. Lucario and Snake disappeared into the latter's room to have a conversation, which they seemed to do a lot.</p><p>As for Olimar, he went to the courtyard to check on the Pikmin garden. Being the only person in the Smash Mansion who had anything to do with the plant-like creatures called Pikmin, he felt that inspecting the Pikmin garden every day was his responsibility. Olimar and the Pikmin had somewhat of a symbiotic relationship—the little astronaut would take care of the Pikmin, and the Pikmin would help him with his daily tasks, which ranged from cleaning up his room to fighting in Brawls. All of Olimar's special moves in Brawls involved at least one Pikmin, in fact.</p><p>Pikmin were extremely fragile creatures. Just a little too much force could kill them and turn them into tiny spirits that emitted mournful cries as they rose into the air and faded away. Ever since the day Olimar landed on the strange planet inhabited by those half-plant, half-animal creatures, he had seen a good number of Pikmin die right before his eyes. It greatly saddened him.</p><p>Now the small astronaut was crouching before a red-colored stem that was tipped with a small white flower—<em>chaenostoma cordatum</em>, the ornamental bacopa<a href="#pikflower" id="pikflowerback" name="pikflowerback"><sup>9</sup></a>. Olimar smiled and tugged at the stem, freeing a Red Pikmin from the dirt.</p><p>"Hello," he said.</p><p>The Red Pikmin made a sound like something between the squeak of a mouse and the coo of a pigeon.</p><p>"Yes, yes, it's a very lovely evening," the Smasher said, pretending to be able to understand what the Pikmin just said. "The weather here is wonderful, right? Come on, let's go to my room and meet the other Pikmin."</p><p>The Pikmin chirped happily and followed Olimar back into the mansion. Once they were out of sight, three heads popped out of a nearby bush.</p><p>"Cool," murmured Wolf O'Donnell. "He's gone."</p><p>"Are you sure about this, Wolf?" asked Ness a little worriedly. "If we get caught, Olimar's gonna be really mad…"</p><p>"And worse, Master Hand is going to know about it!" whispered Lucas, panicking.</p><p>Wolf laughed nonchalantly. "Pshhhh…! What's that old hand gonna do to us, kid—throw us into a lake or something?" He crawled out of the bush. "C'mon, let's do this."</p><p>Ness and Lucas looked at each other, and then they nervously followed Wolf into the open. The lupine Smasher went straight for the Pikmin garden, where several colored stems could be seen. The tiny stems were red, yellow, blue, purple, or white and had leaves, buds, or flowers on the tips. Wolf cackled mischievously and wrapped his hands around a yellow stem with a bright green leaf.</p><p>"Wolf, Olimar checks the garden every day," said Ness. "He'll definitely notice a missing Pikmin…"</p><p>The lupine waved off his concern. "Nah, I doubt it. These things aren't planted in any kind of pattern. And what harm will it do if I took just one?" He pulled at the stem. "Stubborn thing… How does Olimar do it…?"</p><p>Ness rolled his eyes and left Wolf to his business. "Hey," he said to Lucas, tapping him on the shoulder. "Where was Master Hand during dinner? I never saw him in the dining hall. He usually has announcements for us during that time."</p><p>"Maybe he was just so busy that he couldn't come down to make any announcements," Lucas suggested sensibly.</p><p>"Or maybe he wasn't busy at all," Ness then exclaimed with a silly grin, "and was <em>sleeping</em> in his office! And then he slept right through dinner!"</p><p>"Or maybe he was dealing with Crazy Hand," said Wolf as he continued to tug at the yellow-colored stem. "That idiot demolished a wall for the <em>second</em> time today—"</p><p><em>"Or maybe,"</em> said a soft, telepathic voice, <em>"he is waiting for you to explain what you are planning to do with one of Captain Olimar's Yellow Pikmin."</em></p><p>Ness and Lucas screamed in fear, while Wolf's tail fluffed up like a cat's. At that moment, the yellow stem in Wolf's hands jiggled, and the Yellow Pikmin revealed the rest of its body. Chirping angrily, it let out a small blast of electricity that surged through Wolf's body and made his fur stand on end. During the few seconds that he was paralyzed, the Yellow Pikmin hopped away from him and scattered off. The lupine quickly regained mobility and instantly realized how much trouble he was in when he saw the being who had spoken to him, Ness, and Lucas.</p><p>Hovering right behind the three Smashers was Master Hand. As his name suggested, he was a large, pure white hand. He was the master of the Smash Mansion, but it was rumored that he was also the master of the entire Smash World itself. The fact that he had no face or facial structures that could give away his current mood only made him appear to be more intimidating than he already was.</p><p><em>"Come here, please,"</em> said Master Hand.</p><p>Immediately, Ness and Lucas approached him. Wolf blinked several times and stayed where he was, and then he cautiously went to the hand and stood before him. The moment he did, Master Hand's telepathic and normally level voice gained a cutting edge. <em>"What,"</em> he said sternly, <em>"were you planning to do with the Pikmin?"</em></p><p>Ness and Lucas said nothing. Wolf remained tight-lipped and shifted his single organic eye<a href="#wolfeye" id="wolfeyeback" name="wolfeyeback"><sup>10</sup></a> away from the hand.</p><p><em>"Oh, come now!"</em> said Master Hand impatiently. <em>"I do not have all day. Speak!"</em></p><p>At long last, Lucas mumbled, "…We…Diddy…bother…"</p><p>
  <em>"I beg your pardon?"</em>
</p><p>In one breath, Ness said, "We wanted to play a trick on Diddy Kong and Wolf suggested using some Pikmin to bother him, so we waited until Olimar was gone to borrow one of his Pikmin without asking him first, so I guess that would be considered stealing, but we were going to return it afterward, but…"</p><p>Wolf shot a glare at the red-capped boy, who fell silent and just helplessly looked back. Lucas was standing as still as a statue. Master Hand remained in place for a few tense moments. If he had eyes, he'd be staring at the three Smashers.</p><p><em>"…I see,"</em> he said slowly.</p><p>All of a sudden, a stream of words flooded out of Lucas' mouth. "We didn't mean to—it was just a joke—no Pikmin were harmed—we were really bored—we're really sorry—what's our punishment—"</p><p><em>"Lucas!"</em> barked Wolf sharply, making the blond-haired boy seize up. "Shut up!"</p><p>Master Hand looked at the Pikmin garden. <em>"Olimar would be absolutely enraged had he seen you before I did,"</em> he said, sounding forcefully placid. <em>"Consider yourselves fortunate. I shall pretend that nothing had been seen. I suggest that you three locate that Yellow Pikmin before Olimar notices anything."</em></p><p>"You're… You're letting us go?" asked Ness somewhat incredulously.</p><p>
  <em>"As I said, I shall pretend that nothing had been seen. Leave now before my patience wears thin."</em>
</p><p>"Wait, but—"</p><p>Wolf quickly scooped up Ness and Lucas under each arm and smiled sheepishly. "Heard you, sir. Have a good evening, sir!" With his tail between his legs, he scuttled away in a manner not unlike the Yellow Pikmin had a few minutes ago…and crashed right into something huge and hairy. Stars danced before his eyes as he groggily stumbled backward to see what he had run into.</p><p>"Hello," rumbled Donkey Kong.</p><p>Wolf whimpered like a frightened puppy and dropped Ness and Lucas onto the ground as he stepped away from the huge Smasher. Ness trembled at the sight of the massive, necktie-wearing gorilla, while Lucas' face turned white.</p><p>"Heard ya talking about playing a prank on Diddy Kong that involved a Pikmin," continued Donkey Kong, folding his thick, muscle-bound arms. "Were you really gonna do that?"</p><p>"Y-y…yessir," squeaked Ness.</p><p>The gorilla let out a snort through his nose. "Really? Huh. Look here." He bent down and put his face just inches away from the three Smashers'. "<em>No one</em> messes with my nephew," he said, his tone steely. "You got that?"</p><p>"…H-hey, there, dude," said Wolf with a weak smile, "it was just a little prank. We, uh, never intended to cause any harm or whatever. Isn't that right, Ness, Lucas?" Without waiting for either boy to answer, he went on, "Let this go just this once, all right?" Then he remembered something, and he held up a hand. "But wait. Honestly…Diddy deserves it."</p><p>Donkey Kong's brow twitched.</p><p>"You know when we were in Subspace<a href="#subspacesmashers" id="subspacesmashersback" name="subspacesmashersback"><sup>11</sup></a>?" asked Wolf. "You wanna know what he did? He pushed me into the path of a R.O.B. Launcher." He looked disgusted. "A R.O.B. <em>Launcher</em>! Do you not know how painful that Launcher's missiles were? I mean—"</p><p>
  <em>"…Giant… "</em>
</p><p>Ness and Lucas frantically motioned at Wolf to make him stop talking, but he didn't see them and continued to complain.</p><p>"It was the worst pain I'd felt since my last major battle with Fox and his friends! That freakin' missile exploded right in my <em>face</em>! And then I had to fight that Launcher <em>alone</em> because Diddy was too busy laughing at the sight of me suffering from the missile bl—"</p><p>
  <em>"—PUNCH!"</em>
</p><p>Ness, Lucas, and Wolf were sent soaring into the air by Donkey Kong's powerful punch. Their screams slowly faded as they gradually disappeared into the sky in the style of Team Rocket in the <em>Pokémon</em> anime.</p><p>"…Uh…"</p><p>Donkey Kong turned to see a monkey wearing a red Nintendo cap staring worriedly at the darkening sky. "…Did you just punch them in the direction of…you know…<em>that</em> lake?" asked Diddy Kong anxiously.</p><p>Donkey Kong simply patted his nephew's head gently as he answered, "Honestly…they deserved it."</p>
<hr/><p>Solid Snake's room was probably the plainest of all the Smash Mansion residents' rooms. The walls and ceiling were painted a dreary shade of gray. A wooden nightstand was positioned next to a bed with neatly made, white covers. A single photograph, worn with age and faded at the edges, was taped to the wall beside the bed. Next to the door, which had an orange fox with jagged legs painted on it—the logo of a CIA covert operations group called the FOX Unit—were several cardboard boxes, the largest of which was placed bottom side up and had a Smash Ball, an exclamation point, and the words <em>Smash Bros.</em> printed on its sides in red ink. Lucario was sitting cross-legged on this box, while Snake himself lay on his bed with his hands placed behind his head and his navy blue bandana covering his eyes.</p><p>"…Snake," Lucario said suddenly.</p><p>"Yeah?" the mercenary asked without changing his position.</p><p>"Your bandana… Is that an infinity symbol? And something in another language?"</p><p>Snake lifted the bandana from his eyes and glanced at its frayed ends. Embroidered on one end was a tiny infinity symbol that camouflaged almost perfectly with the dark cloth. The other end had two Japanese characters—"無限." With a small smile, he remarked, "Well, you're sharp." Lucario's uncanny sense of perception never ceased to impress him. "When these two characters are put together, they mean <em>infinite</em>."</p><p>"I see," the Pokémon at the other end of the room said with a nod. "Infinity, huh? Why that word specifically?"</p><p>"Beats me." The mercenary ran his fingers along the length of the long strip of cloth. Memories he cherished and memories he wished to forget flowed through his mind. His voice remained quiet. "…You know…this is my favorite bandana." His eyes shifted to the photograph on the wall. "Got it some years ago. I try my best not to lose it."</p><p>"I'm assuming it was a gift from one of the people in that photo," said Lucario.</p><p>Snake's blue eyes remained on the frozen figure of a woman with a shock of red hair. She was flanked on either side by two men, one of whom was Snake himself, albeit younger, clean-shaven, and with an unlit cigarette in his mouth. The other man was a nerdy-looking guy with glasses and unkempt grayish-brown hair; in contrast to the red-haired woman's black tank top and orange vest, he was wearing a thick white coat over a gray sweater. Snake and the other man looked confused but happy, while the woman was beaming broadly and flashing a "<em>V</em> for victory" sign at the camera.</p><p>"When did you get that picture taken? I'd always wanted to know," the Aura Pokémon said. He was especially talkative today.</p><p>"This was…a while ago. Ten years, maybe. Got it taken right after a mission. It was also Meryl's first real mission, and she wanted to preserve that memory." Snake vaguely gestured toward the photograph; his eyes never left the woman. "So that's how the photo came to be."</p><p><em>Meryl.</em> Lucario had heard the mercenary say that name several times before, mostly in his sleep. It hadn't taken him long to discover that Snake tended to say the name much more while having nightmares. Whenever he had a nightmare, Lucario had one, too. He was extremely sensitive to other people's thoughts—Snake's in particular, for some reason. And oftentimes, he desperately wished he wasn't.</p><p>
  <em>A terrified woman held a gun to the side of her hand, and an emaciated figure behind her taunted her and threatened to force her to pull the trigger—</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The same woman, her blood now staining the snow that had previously been spotless and clean and white, lay helpless on the ground at the mercy of a hidden sniper—</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Crackles of electricity mixed with howls of excruciating pain that rang through the air and continued to go unheard—</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Crazed laughter accompanied machine gun fire and a roaring helicopter rotor to form a cacophonous symphony of death—</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A man who was more dead than alive was crushed by something that seemed to be both beast and machine, and there was a horrifying scream—</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Somebody bellowed, "SNAAAAAKE!" and somebody else responded with a furious cry of—</em>
</p><p>Lucario shuddered and pushed the visions out of his head. Fortunately, Snake hadn't noticed anything…or perhaps he was just pretending to have not noticed anything. For a human, he was unusually observant.</p><p>The Aura Pokémon opened his mouth. "Hey—"</p><p>But he immediately found himself unable to continue. Snake turned away from the photograph and gave him a questioning look. "What?" he asked.</p><p>Lucario shook his head rapidly. "No—I—uh—never mind! It's nothing."</p><p>Snake looked a little puzzled, but he just shrugged and put his bandana over his eyes again.</p><p>Lucario folded his arms and slightly readjusted his position on the cardboard box he was sitting on. He sighed quietly. He liked to have conversations with Snake; the man was much more patient than most of the other Smashers and always did his best to answer his many questions. <em>"That woman—do you love her?"</em> was what he had tried to ask. But he couldn't finish the question because he had no idea what love was, for its meaning had suddenly slipped his mind.</p>
<hr/><p>There was a Pokémon whose name was Mew, the New Species Pokémon. This pink-furred, feline, Psychic-type Pokémon was a Legendary Pokémon who was said to be the mother of all Pokémon. She was so elusive that many people actually doubted her existence, and so she was also known as a Mythical Pokémon<a href="#mythicalpkmn" id="mythicalpkmnback" name="mythicalpkmnback"><sup>12</sup></a>. Very few people managed to catch the slightest glimpse of her, and those who did considered this event to be an incredible privilege. Since Mew was so mysterious, countless people sought to catch her. But she always had some tricks up her sleeve and had never failed in getting away and leaving no traces behind, which was why many people didn't believe she was real.</p><p>Everyone in the Smash Mansion, however, knew for a fact that Mew was very real. A few days after the completed construction of the Smash Mansion, the New Species Pokémon appeared out of thin air in the foyer of the mansion and proclaimed that, from that day forward, the mansion was one of her new homes. Naturally, several of the mansion's actual occupants weren't too pleased by Mew's unexpected freeloading, but she <em>was</em> a pretty powerful Pokémon despite her petite size and adorable appearance, so they didn't bother to kick her out. Mew didn't spend every single day at the Smash Mansion, being a Legendary Pokémon with duties that only a Legend could do and all that whatnot, but whenever she was present, things at the mansion became…quite hectic.</p><p>And the hectic atmosphere would only be amplified on the days that Mew found the mansion's sugar supply.</p><p>Mew was hopelessly addicted to sugar. Whenever she paid a visit to the Smashers, she tried to raid the mansion's supply of sweets. And whenever she was successful with this, she always ate as much as she could before flying away to Arceus knows where. Unfortunately, these sugar binges were always subsequently followed by long-lasting sugar highs, which led to a sharp increase in the Smash Mansion's already hectic environment.</p><p>Princess Peach supervised the kitchen and therefore was also in charge of regularly checking and updating a log of all the food supplies. She discovered Mew's affinity for sweet things when about half of the sugar supply inexplicably vanished on the very first day of the Legendary Pokémon's forced residency. She did her best to protect all the sugar and sweet foods from Mew, hiding the supplies in strange places or asking some people to guard it, but—as mentioned before—Mew always had some tricks up her sleeve.</p><p>Today happened to be another of those days when Mew found the sugar…</p><p>"Come <em>oooooon</em>!"</p><p>The Legendary Pokémon jumped up and down on Pikachu's head and flew around him in rapid circles. Pikachu was trying to relax on the bean bag couch in the living room, but it was apparent that Mew wasn't about to let him do that. "Come on!" she said again with a giggle. "Let's do it! Come on! Come on! Come on! Comeoncomeoncomeoncomeoncome<em>on</em>!"</p><p>Pikachu put his face in his paws.</p><p>"This is super important!" exclaimed Mew. She was talking very fast, making her speech a little hard to understand. "This is <em>supersupersupersuper</em> important, okay?! You're gonna help me prove to Darkrai that I can take a Skull Bash head-on without saying 'EEYAH'! <em>Comeoncomeoncomeon!</em>"</p><p>"Oh no," groaned Jigglypuff with dismay. "She found the sugar again! I thought Peach was able to hide it really well this time."</p><p>"HAHAHA!" Mew laughed. "That's <em>never</em> going to happen! I can find all of your sugar and candy with my eyes closed! No matter where you hide it, I will find it, I will take it, and I will <em>eat it all</em>! MWAHAHAHAHA!"</p><p>Jigglypuff rolled her eyes. "Well, this is just great. Now she's acting evil!"</p><p>Mew flew up and did figure eights near the ceiling. Several times, she came close to hitting her head on something like a bookshelf or a tall lamp. Each time she giggled, Jigglypuff quietly exhaled and silently cursed the New Species Pokémon's extreme case of sugar addiction. Pikachu still had his paws placed over his face. Then there was a flash of purplish light, and Mewtwo, the Genetic Pokémon, appeared out of it. He heard some childish laughter above him and looked up to see Mew, who was now floating upside down, and he immediately knew what was going on.</p><p><em>"…Ah"</em> was all he said.</p><p>"I know, right?" agreed Jigglypuff with a sigh.</p><p>At that moment, the two Pokémon noticed that Mew's shadow didn't seem to be following her. Then something completely detached from her real shadow and grew larger and larger…and a menacing-looking Pokémon with long white hair, a black-colored body, and cyan eyes popped out of the ceiling. Jigglypuff yelped, Mewtwo chuckled, Pikachu continued to cover his face with his paws, and Mew just laughed some more before playfully bopping Darkrai, the Pitch-Black Pokémon, on the head with the ovoid tip of her tail.</p><p>"Hi, Darkrai! Hi! Hi! Hihihi!" she said. "Ready to watch me get Skull Bashed by Pikachu?!"</p><p>Mewtwo shook his head in disbelief. <em>"I can't believe I was cloned from </em>her<em>…"</em></p><p>Darkrai emerged from the ceiling and turned right side up, hovering at the same level as Mew. <em>"Am I ready?"</em> he repeated amicably.<em> "I certainly am. </em><em>But are</em> you<em> ready?"</em></p><p>Mew didn't answer and instead giggled again. Darkrai sighed through his hidden (or perhaps nonexistent?) mouth and landed beside Mewtwo. <em>"Before you start asking any questions,"</em> he said,<em> "I never intended to watch Mew </em>actually<em> get Skull Bashed. I just casually mentioned that she couldn't withstand any of the Smashers' attacks…"</em></p><p>Mewtwo gave him an exasperated look. <em>"You said </em>what<em> now?"</em></p><p>After Mew started freeloading from the residents of the Smash Mansion, some other Legendary Pokémon began to do the same and marked several places in and around Smashville as their territories. Celebi, the Time Travel Pokémon, roamed certain parts of the Fellwood<a href="#smashworld" id="smashworldback" name="smashworldback"><sup>2</sup></a>, which was a large forest that lay just beyond the Smash Mansion. Moltres, the Flame Pokémon, and Ho-Oh, the Rainbow Pokémon, occasionally spent some time on the peak of a nearby mountain called Mt. Amethyst<a href="#smashworld" id="smashworldback" name="smashworldback"><sup>2</sup></a>. Rayquaza, the Sky-High Pokémon—the same ill-tempered one that had attacked Fox McCloud and Diddy Kong near the start of their Subspace adventure—took up residence in one of the lakes within the Fellwood and could be found there when he wasn't flying around in the Smash World's stratosphere. A few Legends even started living <em>in</em> the Smash Mansion—the Genetic Pokémon Mewtwo, the Pitch-Black Pokémon Darkrai, and the Lunar Pokémon Cresselia could be considered Smash Mansion residents. Mewtwo, who was one of the most powerful Pokémon in the world and the closest thing to Mew herself, came to escape the droves of Pokémon Trainers who wanted to capture him. Darkrai chose to live at the mansion almost full-time so he could avoid people who thought he was a malevolent being who deliberately plagued those around him with nightmares; in reality, he had no control over his nightmare-inducing ability, which was just a defense mechanism. Cresselia said she followed Darkrai to counter his powers with her ability to banish bad dreams, as well as contribute to the Smashers' Brawls by acting as a stage hazard on one of the Brawl stages. Darkrai felt very uncomfortable in her presence.</p><p>
  <em>"I said Mew couldn't—"</em>
</p><p><em>"No, no, no, don't tell me again. I think I already know."</em> Mewtwo looked up again. <em>"…I think I should get Mew down here so we can get this whole thing over with."</em></p><p>Jigglypuff's large eyes widened even more. "Wait, you're <em>actually</em> going to tell Mew to sit there and get a Skull Bash to the face by Pikachu?"</p><p><em>"If that's the only way to get rid of a Legendary Pokémon who is currently high on sugar,"</em> said Mewtwo very seriously, <em>"then so be it."</em> He raised his right hand, which was glowing with purple-colored power, and psychically brought Mew to the ground. The New Species Pokémon was still laughing and saying random things like, "You know what? I <em>do</em> like cheesy love songs about teardrop-covered guitars."</p><p>Pikachu finally uncovered his face. He was smiling wryly and looked more than just a little annoyed. "…So…who's ready for some Skull Bashing?"</p><p><em>"MEEEEEE!"</em> screeched Mew, dancing in midair. "Let's do it! Let's do it! Let's do it! Let's do it! Let's d—"</p><p>"SHUT UP AND SIT DOWN!" the Mouse Pokémon exploded, finally unable to hold in his frustration any longer. "If you're asking for a Skull Bash, then a Skull Bash is what you're gonna get! C'mon, you pink furball! Brace yourself!"</p><p>Mew cheered and positioned herself about ten feet before the Mouse Pokémon, who was pawing at the living room's carpet with his feet. Then he went on all fours and flew forward, spinning rapidly through the air.</p><p>
  <em>"Skullllll Bash!"</em>
</p><p>The Smasher slammed into Mew headfirst and launched her through the doorway. The New Species Pokémon squealed loudly as she zoomed right through several walls…</p><p>
  <em>"EEYYAHHHH…!"</em>
</p><p>…and she eventually ended up outside and high in the sky, where she disappeared into the night.</p><p>Pikachu nervously peered through the hole in the closest wall. He was able to see the sky, which worried him a little. "…Uhhhh…" he said slowly, "just saying this, but we should avoid bothering Master Hand and instead fix this ourselves." Then he asserted, "And if Master Hand comes down to investigate, I'll say it's Mew's fault."</p><p>Mewtwo poked at Darkrai. <em>"Technically, it was </em>this<em> guy's fault because he got Mew to get Pikachu to use Skull Bash on her, even if it was done inadvertently."</em></p><p>The Pitch-Black Pokémon glared at him, his eyes glowing icily. <em>"Well, look, smart one. All I wanted to do was kick Mew out of the mansion for a few days or so to give all of us some peace. You should be thanking me now."</em> He then looked up at the sky.<em> "And it seems like Mew is unable to take a Skull Bash head-on without saying 'eeyah'…"</em></p><p>Jigglypuff told them all to shut up and start patching up the walls.</p>
<hr/><p>"…Popo…what happened to our door?"</p><p>Nana and her brother stared at their door, which lay pitifully on the ground. For a moment, Nana thought the eyes of the eggplant painted on the door looked unusually downcast, but she then shook her head and decided that she was just imagining it.</p><p>"I think we slammed the door a little too hard, so it fell off its hinges," Popo said as he knelt down to lift one end of the door. "Guess we shouldn't be <em>that</em> excited about dinner next time…"</p><p>"Master Hand's going to be so mad if we tell him that our door needs some fixing," said Nana fretfully. "He already had to fix <em>two</em> walls today. He gets mad enough when there's just <em>one</em> thing to fix. Why bother to…well…bother him some more and get him to fix <em>three</em> things in one day?"</p><p>"Yeah, I don't wanna get him mad again. So…who do you think can fix our door? Some of the Koopa Troopas or Waddle Dees? Maybe the Hammer Bros? If they know how to fight with hammers, they oughtta know how to use them to <em>fix</em> stuff, too."</p><p>"…Then wouldn't it be logical to assume that <em>we</em> can use hammers to fix stuff because <em>we</em> also know how to fight with them?"</p><p>"<em>Whatever!</em> Okay, I'm gonna call for a Hammer Br—"</p><p>Nana whacked Popo on the head with her wooden mallet. "Ugh, you can be so <em>dumb</em> sometimes!" she complained. "Stop jumping to conclusions and <em>think</em> for once, okay?" She put the mallet away and returned her attention to the broken door. "Hmmm… Do you think the Mario Bros would know how to fix doors? First of all, I'm sure they already have the right tools because they're plumbers. And I know they know how to fix all sorts of stuff, so…"</p><p>"Uh, I dunno…" Popo looked to his right and saw Luigi at the end of the hallway. "But Luigi is walking in our direction right now, so why don't we find out?" He set down the door and waved. "Hey! Hi, Luigi!"</p><p>The green-clad plumber grinned and waved back to the Ice Climber while running toward him and Nana. "Hiya, Popo! Hi, Nana!" he said. Then he saw the door on the ground. "Oh…what happened here?"</p><p>"…Wellllll…" Nana sounded a little embarrassed. "When Peach said it was time for dinner, me and Popo were so happy because we were starving! So we ran out of our room and smashed the door into the doorframe. It hit the frame so hard that it just fell off the hinges and out of the frame and onto the ground! We were wondering if you could maybe fix it…"</p><p>"Yeah, we <em>really</em> need your help!" Popo pleaded. "We don't want to see Master Hand get mad again. Can you please help us?"</p><p>Luigi took a minute to look at the fallen door, the empty doorframe, the broken hinges, and Popo and Nana. "…Hmm," he said. "Okay."</p><p>Popo and Nana's eyes sparkled with glee. "You're really gonna do it?!"</p><p>The green-clad plumber nodded confidently. "Yeah! I'm really gonna do it! I think I have stuff that I can use to fix everything. You know, it's a good thing that your door didn't get blown up apart like R.O.B. and Mr. Game &amp; Watch's did yesterday. Otherwise, we'd have to go out and buy a whole new door to replace the destroyed one, and then Master Hand would surely find out about the situation, and then everything would get all fussy. And I'm really glad to know that Crazy Hand wasn't involved in any of this. I mean, who knows what we'd have to do if he <em>did</em> do something… Anyway, enough talk!" He pushed the Ice Climbers away from himself and the door. "Now shoo, shoo! You're gonna get a nail in your faces or something if you stay here!"</p><p>Popo and Nana giggled and dashed away, and then they started enthusiastically discussing what to do to preoccupy themselves while Luigi was repairing their door. Popo suggested that they find Toon Link and play with him, an idea that Nana quickly shot down because the cartoon Hylian was currently doing target practice. The moment the Smasher siblings were out of earshot, the calm expression upon Luigi's face immediately transformed into one of panic. "Oh, mama mia," he whispered to himself before screaming, "M-M-M-<em>MARIO!</em>"</p><p>His older, red-clad brother was at his side in an instant. "What's the matter, Luigi?" he asked urgently.</p><p>Luigi's eyes were wide with fear. "The… The Ice Climbers," he cried, gasping. "I-I-I told them I could fix their door, but in reality…I…I can't!"</p><p>Mario looked at his feet to see a door with an eggplant painted on it lying on the carpeted floor. "Oh, I see," he said. "And they're probably expecting to see some good results…"</p><p>"Y-y-yeah…!"</p><p>Mario put a hand to his chin, pondering. "…Oh, mama mia!" he said, quoting Luigi's earlier words. "This is going to be tough. We're plumbers, so we know about <em>pipes</em> like the backs of our hands. But…doors? I can't say much about that…"</p><p>Luigi looked like he was about to faint. "Mario, what are we gonna do?! We need to do <em>some</em>thing about this before the Ice Climbers come back! Not to mention that Master Hand may—"</p><p>"Step one: <em>Calm down!</em> We won't get anywhere if we keep panicking. Step two: Keep thinking about what we're gonna do."</p><p>"…That's just your way of saying that you <em>don't</em> know what we're gonna do, right?"</p><p>"Let's not word it that way," said Mario hurriedly. "It sounds pessimistic. Hmmm…" He examined the fallen door once again and looked at the empty doorframe and broken hinges. "…Hm. Think, Mario, think…"</p><p>Suddenly, Meta Knight jumped out of the Ice Climbers' room and into the hallway.</p><p>"Oh, Meta Knight!" Luigi said with surprise. "Where did <em>you</em> come from?"</p><p>"I flew through the window," the masked knight answered. "By the way, Crazy Hand is on his way to destroy this room."</p><p>It took the brothers a few moments to register his words. Then Mario said, "Wait, what?"</p><p>Meta Knight whirled around, his yellow eyes flashing. "Here he comes!" he warned.</p><p>Mario grabbed Luigi's arm and yanked him away from the Ice Climbers' room. Meta Knight wrapped his cape around himself and, to make a long story short, magically disappeared. Then a giant white figure shot through the hallway and veered left…and straight through the Ice Climbers' room's doorway.</p><p>
  <em>CRASH!</em>
</p><p>Almost immediately afterward, somebody angrily roared from the two floors below.</p><p>
  <em>"CRAZY HAND! COME BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!"</em>
</p><p>Mario and Luigi dived onto the floor to avoid Crazy Hand, who zoomed over them, turned the corner, and flew off with a loud, triumphant crow. Not too long after, Master Hand himself flew after his uncontrollable brother.</p><p>
  <em>"Oh, you little…! GET BACK HERE!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Ohohohohooooo! I don't think so, Mastah! Byyyye!"</em>
</p><p>When neither Mario nor Luigi could see either of the Hands anymore, they cautiously got up from the ground. Mario's eyes were shining.</p><p>"Brilliant!" he said. "Now Master Hand has no choice but to fix the door, the doorframe, the hinges, the—well, <em>everything</em>, really, because it was <em>Crazy Hand</em> who caused the destruction, and we all know Master Hand is the only one who fixes what Crazy Hand broke because no one else can ever be sure of what that hand could've left behind. You've just been saved, Luigi!"</p><p>His green-clad brother, however, didn't look so sure.</p>
<hr/><p>Popo and Nana were watching Samus help Toon Link with his shooting accuracy when they heard a loud explosion on the fourth floor.</p><p>"Hey, that wasn't <em>our</em> room, right?" Nana asked Popo.</p><p>Her brother shrugged. "Nope, I don't think so."</p>
<hr/><p>Ness, Lucas, and Wolf didn't land on the ground for a very long time. In fact, they didn't land on the ground at all.</p><p>
  <em>Splash!</em>
</p><p>Ness was the first to emerge from the cold, dark water. For a split second, he thought he was alone and Lucas and Wolf had ended up somewhere else. Then Lucas appeared near him, coughing out a mouthful of water. "Oh, h-h-hi, Ness!" he said when he saw the black-haired boy. "How are y-you?"</p><p>"I'm <em>freezing</em>!" replied Ness, shivering. "Wh-wh-where are we, anyway?"</p><p>"I th-think this is one of the l-l-lakes near the Smash Mansion," said Lucas. "L-l-l-let's get outta here."</p><p>Together, the two boys began to swim. By now, the sun had completely set, leaving them almost completely blind. Thanks to what little light the cloud-covered crescent moon provided, they could barely make out what looked like the closest shoreline. Neither of them knew where Wolf was and hoped to bump into him as they made for the shore. Ness wasn't a very strong swimmer, having spent most of his time during the Subspace Incident as a trophy, so Lucas often had to stop and tread water while waiting for his friend to recover some of his energy. By some stroke of luck, he found a thick branch that probably came from one of the trees that lined the shore and gave one end of it to Ness.</p><p>"Hold on to it with both hands," he told him. "Pretend it's one of those noodle things that people use to float in a pool. Then bring up your body so you're floating on your stomach—like this—" He demonstrated, and Ness mimicked him. "Now all we have to do is <em>kick a lot</em>!"</p><p>Side by side, they kicked through the water, unable to see anything more than a few feet away from them. Lucas figured that if they continued to swim in one direction, they'd eventually reach dry ground. He just hoped that they weren't inadvertently swimming to the far end of the lake, which would probably take a fairly long time to reach. Ness muttered something about his sneakers weighing him down and stopped to slip them off, and he let them sink into the dark depths of the lake.</p><p>"You're littering!" said Lucas.</p><p>Ness rolled his eyes, but in the darkness, Lucas could hardly see the motion. "We can always come back here in the daytime and get them back!"</p><p>"…How?"</p><p>"Well, it's not like we're friends with a Squirtle and about fifty other guys who can swim like pros—"</p><p>"Oooo<em>kay</em>, point taken."</p><p>Just then, Ness stopped kicking. "Hey," he said. "Do you hear that?"</p><p>Lucas stopped kicking, too, and when he strained his ears, he heard what sounded like rapid splashing. "Is… Is someone f-f-following us?" he asked, sounding quite scared.</p><p>Ness put a finger to his lips and slowly turned around…to see Wolf O'Donnell swimming toward them as quickly as he could. When he reached Ness and Lucas, he grabbed hold of their stick and trod water with them, coughing and gasping for breath. "R—Ray—"</p><p>Ness reached over and patted his back. "Hey, don't panic, Wolf! We're all together again. I thought we wouldn't be able to find you!"</p><p>"—is—"</p><p>"So now that we've found each other and everything, let's get to the shore. It's cold here and I really can't wait to dry off and go to bed. Anyway, now that we're here…will Master Hand be mad at us for being out of the mansion for so long, or will he be mad at Donkey Kong for sending us here in the first place?"</p><p>"—us—"</p><p>"Okay, let's go! Wolf, you know how to swim, right? You were doing a really good freestyle! You got here so fast… It's pretty amazing! What's your fastest freestyle time? And do you think you could teach me how to swim in your spare time? I don't really—"</p><p>Wolf slapped Ness, pointed behind himself, and shouted, <em>"Rayquaza is chasing us!"</em></p><p>Both Ness and Lucas whirled around…and found themselves staring straight into a pair of large yellow eyes. Then a huge, serpentine Pokémon burst out of the lake.</p><p><em>"GRAHHHHHHH!"</em> roared Rayquaza.</p><p><em>"AHHHHHH!"</em> screamed Ness and Lucas.</p><p><em>"LET'S GET OUTTA HERE!"</em> yelled Wolf.</p><p>But there was nowhere to escape to. The three Smashers were in the middle of a lake, couldn't see anything due to the darkness of the night, and were being pursued by a Legendary Pokémon that had the ability to control the weather. Lucas raised one hand and made a brave attempt at using PK Freeze, but all the swimming and treading water that he had done thus far had completely drained him of his energy. The bluish glow of a PK Freeze appeared at his fingertips and quickly fizzled out. Rayquaza roared in a way that made it sound like he was laughing.</p><p>Wolf growled and abruptly leaped up with Wolf Flash, following that up with a mighty kick that he planted in Rayquaza's face. The Sky-High Pokémon fell backward and sank into the dark water. Wolf hit the water with a loud <em>splash</em> and exclaimed, "<em>Now</em> let's get outta here!"</p><p>But before any of them could start swimming away, a large, clawed hand shot out of the water and grabbed Ness.</p><p>"<em>AHHHH!</em> NESS!" cried Lucas, horrified.</p><p>Ness, in the meantime, was more angry than terrified. "Oh, come <em>on</em>!" he shouted as he was lifted out of the water. "What did <em>I</em> ever do to you?!"</p><p>Rayquaza reemerged and roared at the boy in reply.</p><p>"That doesn't answer <em>any</em> questions whatsoever!"</p><p>The Sky-High Pokémon bellowed something.</p><p>"Yeah, <em>whatever</em>! I dunno what you just said! Now put me down! I'm cold and you're gonna give me an actual cold by making me colder!"</p><p>Rayquaza roared but didn't let go of Ness, who sneezed several times in a row to make his point.</p><p>
  <em>Pew-pew-pew-pew-pew!</em>
</p><p>Green lasers rained down on Rayquaza, whose thick hide was able to protect ithimfrom most of the damage. Surprised by the assault, he dropped Ness. The psychic boy flailed in the air for a few seconds before plopping back into the water. At the same time, an Arwing descended from the sky and flew around the lake.</p><p>Wolf's eyes narrowed slightly. "…What the…?"</p><p>A second Arwing appeared out of the gray clouds and fired a Smart Bomb at Rayquaza. While the Pokémon was distracted by the explosion, the Arwing swooped down and clipped the side of his head with its right wing, making him stagger back. Then it lowered its altitude and skimmed the surface of the lake. Wolf grinned when he realized what it was doing and quickly jumped onto its left wing as it was passing by. Within the small cockpit of the Arwing was Fox McCloud, who waved at his passenger. Wolf responded with a thumbs-up as he clung onto the wing of the vulpine Smasher's starfighter.</p><p>
  <em>"Hey, Wolf! What the heck did you do? Rayquaza normally isn't this hostile unless you piss him off somehow!"</em>
</p><p>Wolf grimaced when Fox's voice pierced through his headset. "Just…ask our big gorilla friend about everything," he answered.</p><p>Ness raised his hands and brought them down, launching himself into the air with a PK Fire. The first Arwing wheeled and dived to catch him with its wing. Falco saluted Ness and guided his Arwing back down to scoop Lucas out of the water with its other wing.</p><p><em>"Hang ten, boys,"</em> said the avian Smasher into his headset's microphone. His voice was amplified by a hidden loudspeaker, allowing everyone to hear him.</p><p>Lucas hugged the Arwing's left wing with sheer fright. "H-h-how are we supposed to do that at this speed…and in <em>midair</em>?!"</p><p>Rayquaza eventually recovered from the attacks and opened his reddish jaws. A multicolored beam of energy erupted from his maw and took the form of a massive, wingless dragon that seemed to gain a life of its own as it charged at Fox's Arwing. It was a Dragon Pulse attack.</p><p>Wolf tapped a button on his headset, his cybernetic eye glowing blue. "I don't like the look of that."</p><p><em>"Well, that definitely goes without saying,"</em> Fox radioed back. <em>"What's the plan?"</em></p><p>"Go for it."</p><p>Fox hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking, <em>"Are you sure?"</em></p><p>"Yes!" replied Wolf impatiently. "Just trust me."</p><p>
  <em>"Er…understood. Falco, take Ness and Lucas home and tell Master Hand that a wild Rayquaza appeared."</em>
</p><p>The avian Smasher's tone was disappointed when he replied, <em>"Leaving me out of the fun, eh? Well, fine. We're heading back. See you in a few, assuming you don't screw anything up."</em> His Arwing turned around and flew away from the lake; as it was passing by, Wolf saw that Ness appeared to be enjoying himself, while Lucas looked utterly terrified. He smirked for a second before returning his attention to Rayquaza's  attack, which was racing toward him and Fox.</p><p><em>"Ready, Wolf?"</em> asked Fox as he pressed some buttons and adjusted some levers.</p><p>"Way ahead of you," replied the lupine. "Watch out! <em>Do a barrel roll</em><em>!</em>"</p><p>Fox's Arwing spun rapidly like a tornado, just as the draconic energy of Rayquaza's move enveloped it. While performing the barrel roll, the Arwing generated an electromagnetic shield that repelled the Dragon Pulse and sent it hurtling back to its user. Fox whooped and pumped his fist in triumph…and then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the energy dragon had turned around and was now coming back to him.</p><p>"Oh, you gotta be kidding me!" he said to himself. "Is that thing alive or something? It wasn't half this complicated back then with Diddy…"</p><p>He pulled the Arwing into a steep dive, closely followed by the multicolored dragon of energy—and Rayquaza himself. Fox groaned and tapped his headset.</p><p>"Wolf, we'll have to do some tricky moves here," he spoke into the microphone. He glanced outside. "You'd better—huh?"</p><p>The lupine Smasher was nowhere to be seen.</p><p>"…But wasn't he riding on the wing just—"</p><p>Rayquaza roared loudly, snapping him out of his thoughts. The vulpine growled and made several tight turns in an attempt to throw Rayquaza and its Dragon Pulse attack off his path. While Rayquaza was able to continue following the Arwing, its Dragon Pulse flew off course and zoomed into the sky.</p><p>"That thing doesn't look like it'll dissipate soon," said Fox with alarm. "If I don't stop it, it might hit a plane or something!"</p><p>
  <em>"I gotcha covered, Fox."</em>
</p><p>Something within the dark clouds glinted, and Wolf plummeted from the sky. He fell straight toward the Dragon Pulse and activated the Reflector on his back to surround himself with a pink, spherical barrier. Rayquaza's Dragon Pulse met his barrier and pushed against him for a few seconds before suddenly changing direction and aiming for its user. Rayquaza, who was focusing on Fox's Arwing, bellowed in pain when his own Dragon Pulse slammed into him and violently knocked him into the lake. Fox, now freed of his pursuer, quickly went around and caught Wolf with his Arwing's right wing. The lupine gripped the edge of the starfighter's wing and caught a glimpse of Fox looking at him oddly.</p><p><em>"…Wolf,"</em> the other Smasher finally said, <em>"you're a goddamn show-off."</em></p><p>Wolf just snickered. Fox rolled his eyes and flew the Arwing back to the Smash Mansion. He really deserved a good rest.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p><a id="wildworld" name="wildworld"></a>1. I named the world of the Animal Crossing series the Wild World because the second game in the series is called <em>Animal Crossing: Wild World</em>. Plus, I don't think it has an official name yet. <a href="#wildworldback">Back</a></p><p><a id="smashworld" name="smashworld"></a>2. Bluespring, Mt. Amethyst, and the Fellwood will make appearances in later chapters. (This is all part of my giant worldbuilding project that is solely for this fanfic… It might get pretty wild.) <a href="#smashworldback">Back</a></p><p><a id="pmdworld" name="pmdworld"></a>3. The Mystery Dungeon World is the place where all the <em>Pokémon Mystery Dungeon</em> games take place. As lame as it may sound, I call it that because it doesn't have an official name. <a href="#pmdworldback">Back</a></p><p><a id="pkmnworld3" name="pkmnworld3"></a>4. This third Pokémon world is where the <em>Pokémon Adventures</em> manga series takes place. However, it won't be mentioned much in this story—if at all—because I have no idea how the manga goes. <a href="#pkmnworld3back">Back</a></p><p><a id="littlemac" name="littlemac"></a>5. Just to clarify, Little Mac is still an Assist Trophy at this point because this fanfic thus far is based on <em>SSBB</em>, even though there are references to the newer games…such as the one discussed in the following note… <a href="#littlemacback">Back</a></p><p><a id="lucasnowhere" name="lucasnowhere"></a>6. This is a reference to the line used for Lucas' <em>SSB4</em> trailer: "Lucas comes out of nowhere!" It also refers to the fact that he comes from the Nowhere Islands. <a href="#lucasnowhereback">Back</a></p><p><a id="assistant" name="assistant"></a>7. In this story, Assist Trophy characters will be referred to as Assistants. <a href="#assistantback">Back</a></p><p><a id="reallife" name="reallife"></a>8. No real-life video games exist in this world—for example, we'll never see Mario and Luigi playing <em>New Super Mario Bros. Wii</em>—but fictional video games that are references to real-life games exist. In this case, <em>Starwing</em> is a reference to <em>Star Fox</em> (fun fact: the game was called <em>Starwing</em> in the PAL region). <a href="#reallifeback">Back</a></p><p><a id="pikflower" name="pikflower"></a>9. Also known as the Pikmin Flower. <a href="#pikflowerback">Back</a></p><p><a id="wolfeye" name="wolfeye"></a>10. I think Wolf's left eye is cybernetic. In the older <em>Star Fox</em> games, he just wore an eyepatch over his left eye… I'd assume that he was in a dogfight with Star Fox and got some shattered glass or something in his left eye at some point, which resulted in blindness in one eye. <a href="#wolfeyeback">Back</a></p><p><a id="subspacesmashers" name="subspacesmashers"></a>11. We're going to assume that the three Smashers that didn't appear in <em>The Subspace Emissary</em>—Toon Link, Jigglypuff, and Wolf—participated in the fight against the Subspace Army. <a href="#subspacesmashersback">Back</a></p><p><a id="mythicalpkmn" name="mythicalpkmn"></a>12. A Mythical Pokémon is a Pokémon that is seen so rarely that people question its existence. Some examples include Mew, Deoxys, Arceus, Genesect, and Diancie. As far as I'm aware, all Mythical Pokémon are Legendary. <a href="#mythicalpkmnback">Back</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Dream Eater</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A few Smashers use some very…interesting ways of sneaking into their rooms without letting Master Hand know. In the meantime, Toon Link meets an old friend.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It's currently early October in the world of <em>Chiaroscuro</em>.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In the first week of the Smashers living in the Smash Mansion as one big, haphazard but happy family, there were fears that what remained of the Army—that is, if any of it remained at all—would continue to go after the group of fighters and take them down to avenge its fallen leader. Because of this, Master Hand imposed a curfew at 11 PM to ensure that every Smasher would be within the walls of the mansion before it was too late. During that week, everybody obediently returned from their activities outside the mansion safely before 11, which pleased Master Hand.</p><p>But just as he began to think that the residents were slightly more responsible than he had initially believed them to be, some of the more rebellious ones started staying out for up to an hour past the designated curfew. Then, as more and more residents became accustomed to their new home, more people ignored the curfew and stayed out for even longer times. During the second week, Master Hand attempted to punish those who flouted the rule about being inside the Smash Mansion by 11 PM, but he quickly realized that that was only going to fester more defiance, so he stopped altogether, figuring that the Smashers were able to look after themselves in case the Subspace Army really did come. But whenever he was in a foul mood, he rigorously enforced the somewhat forgotten rule, resulting in people who were out of their rooms after curfew to be forcibly teleported to their rooms.</p><p>By now, there was a significant number of Smash Mansion residents who dared to refuse to return home until past midnight or even later, confident that they could sneak into their rooms without raising any suspicions. This group was largely comprised of adults, and most of the time, these adults included Captain Falcon and an Assist Trophy named Samurai Goroh. There was a bit of history between the two men: they were once fellow cops in the Internova Police Force, and during their time there, they constantly tried to outdo each other in literally everything. Captain Falcon always won their competitions, both the official and unofficial ones, making the rivalry for Goroh a very bitter one. When they left the IPF and went on their separate ways, Goroh continued to consider himself Captain Falcon's greatest opponent, while Captain Falcon merely saw Goroh as another common adversary.</p><p>When the Smashers finally settled down in the Smash Mansion, Master Hand busied himself with writing letters that he sent to people in various faraway worlds, inviting them to join as Assist Trophies to give temporary aid to the Smashers in Brawls, as well as to help them on missions. He sent those invitations to the Smashers' allies, rivals, and even some foes, which shocked them.</p><p><em>"Everybody, including those you call villains, deserves a second chance,"</em> he told them as he pointedly looked at Bowser, Wario, Ganondorf, King Dedede, and Wolf O'Donnell; except for the penguin king and the lupine fighter, they were all former generals of the Subspace Army. King Dedede had inadvertently allowed the Army to capture Meta Knight's gigantic airship, the Battleship Halberd, by attacking the masked knight while the latter was trying to fend off the Army. Some Smashers, though, suspected that the penguin king would have been the fourth general if he hadn't realized the Subspace Army's sinister plans for the universe. Wolf, in the meantime, had been in search of people in need of a mercenary when he got caught up with the Subspace Incident. All five Smashers were sorely unnerved because they couldn't tell if Master Hand was actually looking at them due to his lack of eyes.</p><p>A number of people accepted Master Hand's offer, while most of the Smashers' enemies naturally turned it down—they wanted to continue trying to achieve their goals and had no interest in helping the very people that they had always fought with. The rivals and foes that did say yes to the invitation came for several different reasons; for Samurai Goroh, he saw this as the perfect opportunity to attempt to beat Captain Falcon at…anything, really.</p><p>And today, shortly after dinner, Goroh invited the F-Zero pilot for a drink…</p><p>Another of the Smash Mansion residents who usually didn't return to the mansion until past the forgotten curfew was Samus Aran. The galactic bounty hunter loved staying in the outdoors, preferring open space to walls that enclosed her from every angle. She liked the Smash Mansion, but at the same time, she couldn't help but look at it with some distaste. She sometimes wondered how the other Smashers could remain comfortable within the mansion's walls, which she found confining. Open space and fresh air—she never had enough of either. She had spent far too many years running around, hiding behind, and blasting through walls to get herself closer to a destination…or to make a quick escape to keep herself alive.</p><p>The Subspace Army had somehow managed to steal her precious Varia Suit not too long ago. She was able to trace them to a place that she would later learn was called the Isle of the Ancients. The name of this location made Samus think that she'd be trekking through some old place with crumbling buildings, and she pictured a huge temple from a long, long time ago as she flew her Gunship to the Isle. What she hadn't expected to come across was an island suspended in the sky with a military base full of technology that she had never seen before—which was quite surprising because she came from a world whose technology could be considered to be highly sophisticated. When she entered the base, which she soon learned was called the Research Facility, she found herself surrounded by walls once more…and accompanied by hostile robots that lurked around every corner.</p><p>Then she found a mouse-like creature being drained of its electrical energy. It looked like the electricity within the mouse's body was being used to generate power throughout a section of the Research Facility. Sickened by the sight and the tortured look on the yellow creature's face, she set it free by shattering its glass containment with her Paralyzer, triggering an alarm that prompted the robots to chase after her. She still hadn't come across her Varia Suit.</p><p>Samus hated the Research Facility, as well as its many metallic walls that trapped her and her new companion, the mouse-like creature who was called Pikachu, with a burning passion. At least she had some company now. But those damn <em>walls</em> were still there, and they made her feel claustrophobic.</p><p>Perhaps she <em>was</em> claustrophobic…</p><p>Now Samus was entering Smashville Plaza's only coffee shop, a little place called The Roost. Something about the little café made her feel safe and at peace, despite the small space. She wasn't sure what it was. It was run by Brewster, a pigeon from Animal Crossing. Brewster was generally introverted, but Samus learned that by talking to him regularly, he would open up and sometimes even initiate conversations. He wasn't unfriendly at all—just a bit shy. In Animal Crossing, muscular swordsmen and animals with firearms never sauntered into his shop. As far as he'd known until now, they didn't even exist. He had every right to be timid and soft-spoken. Clearly, the Smashers had come from places where fighting was nothing out of the ordinary. And those fights weren't petty ones—people could actually die. So far, the worst Brewster had seen was when two of his customers were politely fighting over the bill.</p><p>Samus walked to the counter and sat on one of the red plush stools. It was 10:57 PM and Brewster was polishing the coffee cups as usual. "Hey, Brewster."</p><p>"…Hello, Samus," the pigeon replied without looking up from the cup in his feathered hands. He had a habit of pausing before speaking. "How are you?"</p><p>"Oh…just tired." Samus stretched her hands toward the ceiling. "You know how it goes, right? Crazy Hand destroys something, Master Hand gets mad, and we all have to duck for cover…or worse, help Master Hand catch his brother. I was lucky today—I just stayed in the gym until the others got Crazy Hand back and shoved him into the first-floor basement for some necessary time-out."</p><p>"You were in the gym? Training, I'll wager." Brewster gave Samus' thin jacket and sweatpants a cursory glance. "…Ah…indeed you were. Do you train every day?"</p><p>"Except for the days when I have Brawls," confirmed the bounty hunter.</p><p>"Don't you get tired from all the training you do?"</p><p>"It's just a light workout—nothing overexerting. Falcon usually overworks himself, though, especially when I'm in the gym with him. I think he's just showing off." Samus smiled. "I think he likes me. It's honestly pretty flattering."</p><p>"…Ever thought about liking him back?"</p><p>"Eh…I don't know how to feel about him. He's a strange one. But who knows? I'll just have to wait and see if anything changes later on."</p><p>"Coo." Brewster tilted his head toward his coffee cup. "Coffee? It's on me."</p><p>"Thanks, but coffee won't help me catch up on my sleep…"</p><p>"…In that case…" The pigeon pulled a coffee pot out of a shelf below the counter and poured some of its contents into the cup that he had been polishing, and dropped a handful of small marshmallows into the cup. Then he placed the cup on a saucer and slid it across the counter to Samus. The Smasher lifted the cup from the saucer and gave the brown liquid, which had steam rising from its foamy, marshmallow-covered surface, a curious sniff. Her eyes widened slightly.</p><p>"Is this…hot chocolate?" She sipped it carefully to avoid burning her lips or tongue. "Oh! This is delicious, Brewster!"</p><p>Brewster just chuckled softly and pushed his glasses up his beak. "…Thank you." He silently watched as Samus blew on the hot chocolate to cool it down before removing about half of the marshmallows from the cup and wrapping them up with several napkins, which she tucked into her pocket. Then she gulped down the hot chocolate, gave a small sigh of satisfaction, and passed the cup and saucer back to him. He took them and put them in the sink behind him. "…I'm glad you enjoyed it," he said quietly but appreciatively.</p><p>Samus nodded. "Well, it was nice talking to you, Brewster. I really should get going now…" She looked at the clock on the wall; it indicated that it was currently 11:15 PM. "Whoa, it's getting pretty late."</p><p>"…You know…Captain Falcon dropped by about an hour ago," said Brewster. "He came with a large man with a sword… They said they had some matters to discuss over coffee. And…many cups of coffee were had."</p><p>Samus slapped herself. "So <em>that's</em> what Falcon meant when he said Goroh invited him for a drink! Good thing it didn't involve any alcohol!"</p><p>"I'm afraid the two of them became quite…rowdy from the excessive caffeine in all the coffee they had drunk." With a wry smile, which was rather uncharacteristic of him, Brewster added a little victoriously, "But they didn't forget to pay…coo."</p><p>"Thanks for letting me know. All right, time to go." Samus jumped up from the stool and waved at Brewster. "The chat and drink were highly appreciated, Brewster. Have a good night."</p><p>Brewster was already dutifully polishing another coffee cup. "…To you, too, Samus."</p><p>Samus rushed out of The Roost and pulled her jacket closer to her body when she felt the chilly breeze. It was early mid-autumn and the nighttime air tended to be fairly nippy. The bounty hunter jogged along the path that connected the plaza to the Smash Mansion and reached the mansion's front doors in about five minutes. The moment she walked through the entrance and shut the doors, she was greeted by a yellow-furred Pokémon with a tail shaped like a lightning bolt.</p><p>"Hi, Samus!" exclaimed Pikachu. His height of one foot and four inches contrasted starkly with the bounty hunter's five feet and ten inches <a href="#samusheight" id="samusheightback" name="samusheightback"><sup>1</sup></a>. "How was your trip?"</p><p>Samus smiled at him and knelt down to gently pat his head. "It was a bit cold out, but it was nice overall. How're you doing?"</p><p>The Mouse Pokémon grimaced and rubbed his head. "…I have a headache from using Skull Bash on Mew to get her out of the mansion."</p><p>"You… I'm sorry?"</p><p>"Uh, it's nothing." Pikachu sniffed the air. "I smell…something chocolatey?"</p><p>"Oh, that's right. Brewster gave me some hot chocolate."</p><p>"Wait, he <em>did</em>?! It's not even Valentine's Day<a href="#brewstervday" id="brewstervdayback" name="brewstervdayback"><sup>1</sup></a> and—well, gee, thanks for letting me know!" the Mouse Pokémon complained, sounding irritated. "You <em>know</em> how much I love hot chocolate!"</p><p>Pikachu would do almost anything for any kind of food whose name included the word <em>chocolate</em>, which he had rapidly grown fond of ever since Samus introduced him to it. He had never tasted anything quite like chocolate before he was caught up in the Subspace Incident. It had such a unique taste—the perfect blend of bitterness and sweetness. Pikachu desperately wanted to meet the person who invented chocolate and shake their hand.</p><p>Samus laughed and said, "It's a good thing I saw this coming. Here you go—it's not chocolate, but…" She withdrew a wad of napkins from her pocket and opened them up to reveal a small pile of miniature marshmallows that were stained brown from the hot chocolate that Brewster had made. Instantly, Pikachu's face lit up like a Christmas tree. He snatched the napkins from the bounty hunter and began to pop the marshmallows into his mouth, one by one. Samus shook her head with some exasperation before standing up again. She could hear boisterous yelling and high-pitched laughter coming from directly below her—an indication that Master Hand had successfully located Crazy Hand and had thrown him into the first-floor basement for being such a troublemaker.</p><p><em>This mansion…</em> though Samus, smiling to herself. <em>I'm still not a fan, but I have to admit that there's never a boring day here.</em></p>
<hr/><p>When Fox and Wolf got back to the Smash Mansion, the hangar doors on the side of the hill that the mansion was on were already open. The three massive panels of reinforced steel slowly slid down to their closed positions after Fox had flown his Arwing into the mansion's hangar, which took up most of the space on the second-floor basement. Wolf jumped off the Arwing, which Fox expertly landed between the Falcon Flyer and Falco's Arwing. Wolf was slightly confused when Falco emerged from behind the Falcon Flyer, followed by Ness and Lucas, who, like Wolf, were still dripping wet.</p><p>"Why are you guys still here?" he asked. "You got here way before we did."</p><p>Falco chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head, tousling some feathers. "Uh, well…you know how Master Hand always gets kinda pissy at night because that's when everyone's running around when they're not supposed to be running around?"</p><p>"…Go on…"</p><p>"Since we all came back late, I thought it would be wise to take some extra precautions by not charging into the elevator to get to our rooms. So I told Ness and Lucas to stay here for a couple of minutes. Then we heard Master Hand going around and complaining about Crazy Hand…" Falco pointed at the ceiling. "…who happens to be right above us."</p><p>Fox exited his Arwing, his ears pricked. "I can hear him saying stuff occasionally," he said with a laugh. "What a strange guy. Hard to believe those two gloves are related to each other."</p><p>Falco heaved a sigh. "Hands."</p><p>Fox just shrugged. "We already discussed this, Falco. The bet is still on."</p><p>"All I have to say is that I'm really looking forward to receiving that 100 G soon," replied the avian fighter with a smirk.</p><p>Something made a clicking sound. The four Smashers whirled around to see Samus Aran poking her head through the door that led to the stairs that connected the two basements with each other and the ground floor. The bounty hunter threw a brief glance over her shoulder before silently motioning to Fox, Falco, Wolf, Ness, and Lucas to follow her. The five Smashers tiptoed up the stairs and joined Samus, who quietly led the group up the steps that connected the first-floor basement with the ground floor.</p><p>
  <em>"Hahahahahaha!"</em>
</p><p>Everybody froze when they heard Crazy Hand's signature laugh in their heads.</p><p>
  <em>"Too awake to be tired? Or maybe there's another reason you're snooping around so late? Hahahaha!"</em>
</p><p>Samus pursed her lips and began to walk faster. The other Smashers followed closely behind, startled that Crazy Hand seemed to be aware of their presence. They soon reached the topmost step and found themselves facing a closed door. Samus held up her hand to stop everyone behind her.</p><p><em>"Well, I'm not gonna ask what you were all up to 'cause I'm nice like that,"</em> said Crazy Hand telepathically to the group. <em>"Have a restful night! Hahahaha!"</em></p><p>Samus shook her head in annoyance. That hand was full of surprises. She cautiously turned the handle on the door, waited a few seconds, and pushed it open to reveal the foyer. Everyone began to creep across the hall.</p><p>Wolf suddenly gasped sharply. <em>"Get down!"</em> he hissed.</p><p>The Smashers threw themselves behind some potted plants that had been conveniently placed a few feet away; the moment they did so, a menacing shadow passed overhead. Lucas dared to look up and nearly yelled out with fright when he saw Master Hand flying over them. Falco quickly pulled the blond-haired boy under the leaves of the large plant so the hand wouldn't see him. "Careful!" he softly admonished him.</p><p>Fox poked at Samus and jerked his thumb over his shoulder, pointing at a large cardboard box next to him. The bounty hunter saw his puzzled expression and almost laughed out loud. She reached for the box and lifted a corner, and everyone else was shocked to find Solid Snake sitting underneath it. He looked like he had been expecting them.</p><p>"When you need to sneak around," whispered Samus, "why not ask for help from the guy who's second to none at sneaking?"</p><p>The mercenary smiled at the compliment. He crawled out from under his box and put it somewhere that no one had found yet, glared at each Smasher in the eye, and put a finger to his lips. A couple of seconds later, Master Hand passed by again. This time, there was no need to hit the floor because the Smashers were still well hidden behind the potted plants. However, they couldn't shake off the feeling that they were being cornered.</p><p>There was a tiny smirk on Snake's face. He leaned slightly out of his fellow Smashers' hiding spot and paused for a few seconds. Then he took a small object out of his pocket, eyeballed the middle of the foyer, and tossed the object away from him. The object skipped across the floor a few times, making a sharp clack each time it made contact with the floor, before sliding to a stop in plain sight. Immediately afterward, Snake ducked back behind the potted plants.</p><p>
  <em>"Kerokero! Kerokero!"</em>
</p><p>Fox and Ness, upon hearing the strange croaking sound, struggled to hold back their giggles. Falco and Wolf each gave Snake a poker-faced look. Lucas was horrified because there was absolutely no way Master Hand couldn't hear the sounds that the object was making. Samus was a little surprised at what Snake did, but she wasn't too bothered by it. Gesturing quickly to the other Smashers to follow her and the mercenary, she started to slink along the wall, staying within what little shadow was available, and they all snuck away from the object and the croaking sounds that were playing from it.</p><p>"Hurry up," muttered Snake impatiently. "Master Hand will kill us all if he catches us snooping around."</p><p>Master Hand abruptly materialized out of thin air as if the mercenary had summoned him by speaking his name. He prepared to smack the living daylights out of whoever was making strange noises in the middle of the night…only to find a doll of a cartoon frog that was ribbiting strangely<a href="#kerotan" id="kerotanback" name="kerotanback"><sup>3</sup></a>.</p><p>
  <em>"Kerokero! Kerokero!"</em>
</p><p>While Master Hand was distracted by the frog doll, the seven Smashers sneaked toward the stairs and climbed them. Fortunately for them, it appeared that Master Hand thought the frog had been placed there by Crazy Hand, for he turned around and shot through the door that led to the basements. The moment he vanished, the Smashers raced up the stairs in a frenzy and muttered hurried "good nights" and "see yous" to each other before dashing to their respective rooms.</p><p>Fox, Falco, and Wolf rushed to the fourth floor and burst through a door with a winged fox painted on it. They didn't bother to brush their teeth or shower and instead rapidly changed into their pajamas before leaping into their beds, pretending to be asleep. They could still hear the weird cries of the frog doll, even though it was several floors below them. Fox found himself wondering how long its battery lasted, if it was powered by one at all.</p><p>"Oh, man!"</p><p>Falco was laughing jovially. Anyone could tell that he was attempting to be quiet, but he was failing miserably at it.

</p><p>"Dude, that was <em>amazing,</em>" he said, and both Fox and Wolf nodded in agreement. "May there never be a dull day in this mansion!"</p>
<hr/><p>Earlier today, just several minutes before a sugar-high Mew demanded that Pikachu use Skull Bash on her, Toon Link found Darkrai lurking in one of the corridors on the third floor of the Smash Mansion. After exchanging a few words with him, the cartoon Hylian asked a question that had been on his mind ever since he first laid his eyes on the Legendary Pokémon.</p><p>"So…what do you eat?"</p><p>Whenever people asked the Dark-type Pokémon a question, they usually didn't receive any straightforward answers. To be vague was Darkrai's nature, which irritated everyone…except for Mewtwo, who was a very patient individual and had no qualms about his fellow Legend's personality. Today was no different than the others.</p><p><em>"My diet consists of things that yours does not,"</em> the Pokémon replied.</p><p>Toon Link raised a questioning brow at this and probed further. "And they include…?"</p><p><em>"Intangible substances,"</em> Darkrai said simply.</p><p>"…Excuse me?"</p><p>
  <em>"You're excused."</em>
</p><p>The cartoon Hylian was beginning to feel faintly annoyed as he asked, "Can you be just a <em>little</em> more specific?"</p><p>Instead of answering, Darkrai bent down and patted the Smasher's head with his clawed hand in a friendly manner. <em>"Good question,"</em> he said. <em>"It would probably be better if I showed you rather than told you, which would take away all the surprise."</em></p><p>"And…when will you show me?" asked Toon Link with some interest.</p><p>Darkrai chuckled and shrugged. <em>"Whenever I feel the need to,"</em> he said mysteriously before disappearing into the ground.</p><p>Now it was late at night, and the thin, white sliver that was the moon was barely visible from behind the thick cover of gray clouds. Toon Link was sleeping soundly in his room, which he shared with Link. He was so tired that he didn't hear his older counterpart's thunderous snores at all. However, Ganondorf, who was in the next room, was kept wide awake by the ear-piercing sounds. He lay in his bed, facing the ceiling with his hands folded over his stomach.</p><p><em>How is it possible for him to be so loud?</em> the Gerudo thought as his mouth twisted with distaste. <em>He was known as the </em>Silent<em> Hero back then… I can't believe it.</em></p><p>It was said that all incarnations of the first Hylian hero dressed in green had very little to say. People said that apart from the guttural battle cries the heroes were so famous for, they hardly talked, if they talked at all. Because of this, every Link was also known as the Silent Hero. This nickname proved to be a misnomer, though, when the Smashers met Link and Toon Link during their Subspace adventure; Link often discussed plans of action and made small talk with his new acquaintances, while Toon Link's mouth could be like a runaway train if he had enough energy.</p><p>And it also turned out that Link, the Hero of Twilight, could also snore <em>very</em> loudly…</p><p>Ganondorf snorted to himself and turned his back to the wall that separated his room from the two Links'. He closed his eyes and attempted to block out Link's snores. Toon Link, amazingly enough, was still fast asleep. The Gerudo king envied the young Hero of Winds' uncanny ability to hear nothing when he wanted to. He heard the boy toss around in his bed to get in a more comfortable sleeping position, and then the only sound that remained was Link's snores. Kirby, Meta Knight, and King Dedede slept in the room directly above the Hylian Smashers' room; Captain Falcon and Olimar were next door; and Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi were in the room below… Link was probably keeping all them awake, too. Ganondorf felt somewhat sorry for them.</p><p>All at once, he felt like something was wrong. When he opened his eyes and sat up in his bed, he was certain that the room had darkened—he was almost completely blind, and he knew that even the darkest of nights couldn't make people sightless. And the air was eerily still and cold…and quiet.</p><p>
  <em>"Sleep…"</em>
</p><p>The ghostly whisper made the hairs on the back of Ganondorf's neck stand on end. He suddenly noticed that Link's snoring had abruptly ceased. As cautiously as he could, he slipped out of his bed, enveloped his hands in dark energy, and silently made his way out of his room and toward the Links' room. He noticed that the door to their room was still closed. Feeling slightly perturbed, he pushed the door open a crack and peered inside.</p><p>Link lay stock-still on his bed, his blue eyes wide with fear. A shadowy figure was hovering over him with its hand clamped over his mouth to prevent him from making any noise.</p><p>
  <em>"Sleep!" the low voice rasped again.</em>
</p><p>Link was terrified—and considering that he bore the Triforce of Courage, this was quite ironic. He made several desperate whimpers when he felt three claws digging into his skin. His eyes slowly moved upward to stare at the malevolent cyan pair that floated above him. Whoever was silencing him with its three-clawed hand was indistinguishable from the surrounding darkness of the room. The eyes that watched him intently had him all but petrified.</p><p><em>"Good."</em> The cyan eyes flashed briefly, and Link's eyes lit up, too. Suddenly, the Hylian felt strangely exhausted…and within seconds, he was unconscious. At the same time, the strange darkness lifted from the room.</p><p><em>…What just…?</em> thought Ganondorf as he quietly stepped inside. The shadow-like intruder was now gently pushing Link back to the center of his bed and covering his still form with his blanket. Then it turned around before Ganondorf could react and looked straight at him.</p><p><em>"Hello, Ganondorf,"</em> it said, its tone kind and not at all grating like before.</p><p>The Gerudo was startled. "What—? Who—"</p><p>"Oh, I'm hurt! Don't tell me you've forgotten me already." The shadowy figure moved closer to the window so that the Smasher could see him better. Ganondorf slowly exhaled through clenched teeth when he saw Darkrai standing there. Even though he had known the Pitch-Black Pokémon for three months, he still found it difficult to look at him.</p><p><em>The embodiment of nightmares… Some worlds have some truly unusual creatures.</em> The Gerudo released the darkness that surrounded his hands. "Why are you in the Links' room?"</p><p>The Pokémon pointed at Link. <em>"He was being too loud,"</em> he replied. <em>"Why are </em>you<em> in the Links' room?"</em></p><p>Ganondorf, too, pointed at Link. "I was wondering why he wasn't loud anymore." When he finished speaking, he paused, and then he laughed a little. "I suppose I have you to thank, eh?"</p><p>He was cut off by Link, who had begun to breathe heavily and twitch in his sleep. Ganondorf watched him in silence, while Darkrai quickly understood the situation. He gave a look at the frayed green and gold feather attached to a string around his left wrist<a href="#baddreams" id="baddreamsback" name="baddreamsback"><sup>4</sup></a> and slowly said, <em>"It might be time for me to get a new Lunar Wing…"</em></p><p>Every Pokémon had special abilities, and depending on which Pokémon world they came from, they could have two. These abilities had a wide range of effects that could affect the Pokémon with the ability, an opponent, or both. Pikachu's Static could paralyze opponents and render them temporarily sluggish or immobile. Jigglypuff's Cute Charm sometimes caused male opponents to become infatuated with the Balloon Pokémon and not attack. Ivysaur's Overgrow greatly boosted the power of his Grass-type moves when his health was in the red; Squirtle's Torrent and Charizard's Blaze did the same to special moves of their respective types. Lucario had two abilities called Steadfast and Inner Focus—Steadfast increased his speed when his vision was impaired, and Inner Focus prevented him from flinching.</p><p>Darkrai was one of the handful of Pokémon whose species had a unique ability. His ability was called Bad Dreams, and as its name suggested, it caused anybody sleeping near him to suffer from nightmares. Since Darkrai was a regular occupant of the Smash Mansion, the Smashers constantly had to deal with this unfortunate ability. To negate the nightmare-inducing effect of Bad Dreams, Cresselia gave Darkrai one of her feathers to hold on to. The Lunar Pokémon's feathers, which were called Lunar Wings, had the power to dispel bad dreams and allow people to slumber peacefully. Lunar Wings didn't last forever, however—one was effective for about a month before its power faded and it became too weak to banish nightmares. Because of this, Darkrai had to obtain a new Lunar Wing from Cresselia every month.</p><p>"Nooo…" moaned Link in his sleep. "No! Leave her alone… <em>Leave Zelda alone, you sick monster!</em>"</p><p>Ganondorf growled under his breath. Darkrai glanced at him with somewhat narrowed eyes. Only a moment later did Cresselia appear outside, looking through the window. Upon seeing Link, who was quietly crying in anger and horror, she closed her pink eyes, and her swan-like body glowed with a warm, gentle light that washed over his body. Link instantly stopped spasming and smiled as visions of the happier moments of his life played in his mind. Cresselia's body stopped glowing, and she faced Darkrai. <em>"See me as soon as you can for a new Lunar Wing,"</em> she said.</p><p><em>"Yes, of course,"</em> replied Darkrai unenthusiastically.</p><p>Cresselia then glanced at Ganondorf. <em>"We apologize for interrupting your sleep. Would you like me to lend a hand?"</em></p><p><em>"Do you even </em>have<em> any hands?"</em></p><p>The Lunar Pokémon shot a hostile look at her Dark-type counterpart, who shrugged at her, before returning her attention to Ganondorf. The Gerudo shook his head. "No need," he said curtly. "But your kindness is appreciated." He quickly turned around and exited Link and Toon Link's room, leaving Darkrai alone inside. The Pokémon watched Ganondorf go, eyeing him curiously.</p><p>
  <em>"Darkrai."</em>
</p><p>Cresselia had a frown upon her normally gentle features. <em>"You'd better hurry before you start affecting more people with those terrible dreams,"</em> she said. <em>"I will meet you in the Fellwood. You know where."</em> With that, she flew away, shining particles falling from her pink, ring-like wings and forming a shimmering trail in the air.</p><p>Darkrai, however, had some other plans. <em>"Yes,"</em> he said quietly to himself. <em>"I'll meet you there, Cresselia. But first…"</em></p><p>He heard Toon Link, who was still asleep, mumble something about pirates and talking boats. He silently approached the boy's bed.</p><p>
  <em>"…I have some urgent business to attend to."</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>The three occupants of another room were still awake.</p><p>"Oh, for heaven's sake!" Ike muttered. "I can't believe that Link's snoring is this loud and clear when we're two rooms away from his room. It's getting truly unbearable. Remind me to see Master Hand in the morning to ask if we could switch rooms with Ness and Lucas."</p><p>"But neither of them are deep sleepers," pointed out Pit.</p><p>"I'm willing to do anything to get away from that horrible snoring," replied Ike matter-of-factly. "This is getting out of hand."</p><p>"Why don't you just go up to Link and tell him to get a better pillow or something?"</p><p>"You think I haven't done that already? He keeps saying he's happy with his current one!"</p><p>Marth chuckled a little. "I'm afraid simply switching rooms with others isn't going to help, Ike," he said. "Not when there is something making such loud sounds that they echo throughout the entire mansion in the middle of the night." He was referring to whatever was making strange frog-like noises, which was <em>still</em> going after about two hours or so of endless playing. The swordsman still wasn't very knowledgeable about modern-day technology and had no idea how whatever device was making the sounds could last so long. He figured that the louder the volume, the faster the device would run out of energy.</p><p>Ike felt very cross. "…Unbelievable," he grunted. "Will there ever be just <em>one</em> minute of complete silence here? There really never is a single uninteresting day in this mansion… Hmm." He breathed deeply. The room was silent. The crickets outside were chirping. Somewhere outside, an owl hooted.</p><p>"Wait—" Pit fell out of his bed in surprise. "When did it get so quiet?" He darted to the wall and pressed his ear against it. His face slowly split into a wide grin. "Hey, guys!" he said excitedly. "Check this out! Link stopped snoring!"</p><p><em>"What?!"</em> Ike and Marth exchanged incredulous looks with each other before rushing to join Pit at the wall. The three Smashers held their breaths and listened intently for any sounds coming from the room to their left.</p><p>"…Oh my goodness! You're right!" exclaimed Marth after a few seconds. "Peace and quiet at long last!" He winked at Ike. "There you go."</p><p>The Crimean swordsman just gave him a light pat on the back. Then all three swordsmen returned to their beds, eager to get some much-needed sleep. Marth made sure to make himself as comfortable as possible, while Ike just plopped down and haphazardly threw his covers over himself. Pit punched the center of his bed of floating clouds to make it soft and bouncy before lying on his stomach and letting his white-feathered wings flop to his sides.</p><p>A question suddenly turned up in Marth's mind. "You two," he said, "have you ever wondered why Crazy Hand is the way he is? By which I mean…extraordinarily crazy?"</p><p>Ike shrugged, though neither Marth nor Pit could see the movement because the room was too dark. "Perhaps he was born like that," he suggested. "For every action, there is an equal and opposite action, right? There's Master Hand, the wise and sane one. Then there's his brother, the somewhat idiotic and…not sane one."</p><p>"There's a word for 'not sane.' It's called <em>insane</em>."</p><p>"All <em>right</em>, thank you very much," said Ike, furrowing his brows when Marth corrected him. "Anyway, I'm going to stick with my theory that Crazy Hand is crazy because he was already like that the moment he came into existence."</p><p>"Well, <em>my</em> theory is that it has something to do with Tabuu," said Marth. "He had both Master and Crazy Hand under his control, yes? I suspect that Tabuu cursed Crazy Hand with craziness or something before he targeted the Smashers. Master Hand <em>did</em> say he and Crazy were twins…"</p><p>Pit snorted. "That would be pretty interesting! Tabuu, the leader of the Subspace Army who created Subspace and likely is—oh, my bad, <em>was</em>—the most twisted and evil villain throughout all the existing worlds, summons two big hands and curses one with craziness… Like, <em>really</em>? In my opinion, Tabuu was probably too busy to do the whole cursing thing."</p><p>His roommates laughed.</p><p>"Hold on—Tabuu wasn't busy at all!" Ike said when his and Marth's laughter subsided. "Didn't Master Hand say he wasn't able to do the detonate-the-Subspace-Bombs-and-take-over-the-universe thing himself because he <em>embodied</em> Subspace and therefore couldn't leave his personal space?"</p><p>"That's quite a massive area to claim as <em>personal space</em>," remarked Marth jokingly.</p><p>Pit let out a second, more audible snort. "Oh! So…Tabuu's just sitting there in Subspace, drinking a cup of coffee or something while he tells two big hands—one of whom he cursed with craziness—to boss around Bowser, Wario, Ganondorf, and Palutena knows <em>who</em> else to hop through a bunch of different worlds and get rid of the good guys with Dark Cannons and Subspace Bombs… All right, then. No offense, Tabuu, but you are <em>the</em> laziest villain I've <em>ever</em> met in my whole life." He paused. "Well, actually…I can offend him all I want because now he's drinking a cup of coffee in heaven because he's dead." He paused again. "No, definitely not heaven! Make that hell. He was <em>very</em> bad."</p><p>His roommates exploded into a round of laughter again.</p><p>"Oh, Pit," said Marth while attempting to sigh in a mockingly sad manner, "talk any more and we'll all be suffering from stomach cramps in the morning. I kindly suggest you heed my advice and be silent."</p><p>"Wow, rude!" Pit said sourly. "But thanks for thinking that I'm as funny as you're acting like I am."</p><p>Ike was smiling wryly in the darkness. "Trust me, Pit, we're most certainly <em>not</em> acting."</p><p>"By the way, I have one more question," said Marth, "and it's for you, Pit."</p><p>"Yeah?"</p><p>"When you're sleeping on your bed—er, that is, your <em>cloud</em>—how do you not fall through it?"</p><p>Pit suddenly sat up and stared at the bed across from him. "What's wrong with my cloud?" he demanded.</p><p>"Well…it's a <em>cloud</em>. So…how do you not fall through it?"</p><p>The angel groaned, feeling annoyed. "Because it's a <em>magical</em> cloud, of course. Everyone knows that. Good night!" With that, he lay back down on his magical cloud, rolled over to turn his back on the two other Smashers, and began to snore.</p><p>Ike huffed loudly through his nose. "Well, isn't that lovely?" he commented sarcastically. "Now <em>he's</em> snoring."</p>
<hr/><p>Mewtwo had overheard Toon Link asking Darkrai about the latter's diet and promptly became deeply concerned. He knew very well what Darkrai fed on and was certain that the Pitch-Black Pokémon had been <em>very</em> pleased that the cartoon Hylian had asked him that question. The way Darkrai had hungrily eyed the boy as he talked to him did nothing to calm Mewtwo's nerves.</p><p>The Psychic-type leaned back in his bean bag chair and set down the book he had been reading by the dim lamp. He felt thankful that at nighttime, the mansion—and especially the living room—was much more tolerable than it was during the day.</p><p>
  <em>"Kerokero! Kerokero!"</em>
</p><p>He did wish that someone would shut up those strange frog sounds, though—two hours had passed and the thing was <em>still</em> ribbiting away. He grimaced and wondered why Master Hand hadn't done anything about it.</p><p>
  <em>"Mewtwo."</em>
</p><p>Darkrai descended from somewhere above him and landed next to him. He was carrying something in his arms. Mewtwo greeted the Pitch-Black Pokémon with a nod and stood up to see what he was holding. Then he reeled back in shock.</p><p><em>"What in the world?!"</em> he said sharply as he stood up from his chair. <em>"I didn't think you were actually going to follow through with that plan!"</em></p><p><em>"They say that curiosity killed the Skitty, correct?"</em> Darkrai set down the sleeping Toon Link on Mewtwo's bean bag chair. <em>"He was curious. And besides, it's that time of the month again."</em></p><p>Mewtwo looked troubled. <em>"But…why him? He's only a child. You might leave his mind scarred."</em></p><p><em>"Toon Link has seen and done things that most teenagers </em><em>would never even </em>dream<em> of doing. He wouldn't be in the Smash World otherwise."</em> Darkrai stared at Mewtwo with piercing eyes. <em>"Give it some thought. I doubt he will be overly affected."</em>

</p><p><em>"I don't know, Darkrai… This is only the third time that you've done this here, and</em> <em>it ended badly all three times. Remember what happened last time?"</em></p><p>
  <em>"…Ah…yes. Never again…"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You asked Snake for permission and gave him the usual disclaimer about not being responsible for any injuries or deaths, and all that,"</em> Mewtwo recalled. <em>"He said it was all right, so we went ahead with it. At first, it seemed like everything was going smoothly…until Snake began to scream the strangest things at the top of his lungs. I was barely able to restrain him and get him back to his senses. That night was a particularly bad one…"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Like I said, never again. Who could've known that the most composed Smasher would react the most violently… I wonder what he's got against liquids."</em></p><p>Something outside the living room exploded.</p><p><em>"…Oh, wonderful!"</em> said Mewtwo after a second. <em>"Master Hand finally took care of the annoying song."</em></p><p>Darkrai sounded extremely disappointed as he complained, <em>"That little frog thing was in perfect working order until the hand gave it a high five</em>…</p><p>Toon Link coughed and muttered something incomprehensible. Mewtwo glanced at him before sighing reluctantly. <em>"I, uh…suppose we should get started, then."</em></p><p>Darkrai had a hungry look in his eyes again. The Genetic Pokémon raised a brow and said, <em>"Please don't do that."</em></p><p><em>"What? I can't help it. It's been an entire month and I'm starving."</em> The Pitch-Black Pokémon hovered over Toon Link. <em>"All right… How do you think he'd like it? Rare, medium, or well done?"</em></p><p>Mewtwo shrugged. <em>"Eh…I guess that depends on how satisfied you want to be."</em></p><p>
  <em>"Well done it is. An excellent choice. Remember to do your thing if anything goes wrong."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Of course."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"And now for the lights, if you may."</em>
</p><p>Mewtwo glanced at the lamp next to him and his bean bag chair, and with a quick wave of his hand, the light went out. In the sudden darkness, he could just make out the hazy shapes of Darkrai and Toon Link.</p><p>
  <em>"Welcome, Toon Link. Allow me to finally answer your question."</em>
</p><p>Mewtwo, who was hardly fazed by anything, felt a chill run down his spine when he heard the Pitch-Black Pokémon's voice drop to a hoarse whisper. The temperature of the room seemed to fall suddenly. The darkness of the night spread and deepened until all he could see was a pair of cyan eyes that glowed with a very strange light. <em>Here we go again…</em> he thought nervously.</p><p><em>"Sweet dreams,"</em> said Darkrai.</p>
<hr/><p>Sonic the Hedgehog lay in bed with his arms crossed. The frog sounds had finally stopped playing, much to his relief. "I wish those stragglers wouldn't be so noisy next time," he said. "They oughtta try some quieter approaches for secretly reentering the mansion after curfew. I haven't gotten a decent amount of sleep this whole week! And as for <em>you</em>, Tails…" He turned his head to look at the two-tailed fox, who was holding a DualScreen game console<a href="#dualscreen" id="dualscreenback" name="dualscreenback"><sup>5</sup></a> over his face and tapping the buttons rapidly. "…could you maybe keep it down a bit?"</p><p>"Oh! S-sorry!" said Tails. "But I wasn't able to figure out how to beat the final stage, so I'm trying out a few different strategies."</p><p>"Do you really have to try out those different strategies <em>now</em>?"</p><p>"Well, I think I figured it out, so I might as well—<em>oh no!</em>" Tails groaned, and Sonic heard <em>Starwing</em>'s "Game Over" cue play through the DualScreen's speakers. "That was a really bad run! I crashed my Starwing into the third obstacle…"</p><p>"Aren't you supposed to be an ace pilot or something?" asked Sonic with a smirk.</p><p>"Flying a plane in real life and flying a plane in a video game by pressing some buttons on a device with a tiny screen are completely different things, Sonic!"</p><p>"Heheh. Don't take it so seriously, Tails. You know I was just joking."</p><p>The fox sighed as he attempted the stage once more. Foreboding chiptune music began to play as he carefully guided his Starwing through the obstacle-filled path that led to the final boss. "I've been considering building a custom controller for flight simulator-type games. Imagine how quickly I'd beat those games if I just pretended I was flying the Tornado!"</p><p>The Tornado, a red and white biplane built for a single pilot, was Tails' pride and joy. It belonged to Sonic, but when he first met Tails and noticed his love for all things mechanical, he let him use it whenever he wished. Despite looking like any other biplane, the Tornado was able to fly faster than the speed of sound. Sometimes, Tails modified it to utilize its capabilities to the maximum when going on different missions.</p><p>"I think that would make games like <em>Starwing</em> become really boring," said Sonic truthfully.</p><p>"But think about how useful it would be for speedruns… Oooh, I made it past the obstacles!" Excited by this, Tails sat up in his bed. "Now the <em>real</em> battle begins."</p><p>Sonic just yawned loudly. "If I get picked for a Brawl in the morning and lose, it's gonna be your fault."</p><p>"Don't worry—I'm gonna kick this guy's butt so fast that I'm gonna set a record!" The fox held the DualScreen right before his nose, his forehead furrowed in deep concentration. The sound of laser cannon fire mingled with the maniacal laughter of the final boss and occasionally with Tails' quiet groans that he made each time a stray projectile hit his Starwing. Sonic stole a glance at the digital clock on his nightstand and sighed a little when he saw the time.</p><p>For Tails to be living in the Smash Mansion with Sonic was actually somewhat unusual. Most people living here who weren't Smashers were Assistants or, in the cases of the Koopa Troop and the Waddle Dee Army, servants of certain Smashers. Even then, there were some Assistants who chose not to live in the mansion and came only on the days Master Hand needed them for Brawls. Tails was not an Assistant; however, he couldn't bear being away from Sonic, especially after the Subspace Incident had kept them separated for many months, so he tagged along with the hedgehog when he announced that he'd be away from home for a while.</p><p>Although Tails was not an Assistant, many residents of the Smash Mansion were very fond of him. He was a sweet-natured young boy who was always willing to lend a hand to anybody who needed help. He was also a genius mechanic, in spite of his age, and sometimes aided people both in the Smash Mansion and around Smashville in repairing vehicles and other machinery.</p><p>Sonic couldn't complain about Tails being here—he was his best friend, after all. But the fox had a habit of becoming extremely invested in whatever had his attention and could spend hours upon hours working on it.</p><p>"Tails, it's…" Sonic rubbed his eyes and checked the time again just to make sure. "Ugh. Buddy. It's 1 AM. Can't this wait?"</p><p>"Not when I'm in the middle of a fight!" replied the fox, his eyes never leaving the DualScreen. "I can do it!"</p><p>Sonic just sighed quietly. Perhaps it was better to just give in. "Heh, well, if you insist. I think you definitely got this in the bag. You <em>are</em> the best pilot I know."</p><p>As if on cue, there was the sound of an explosion, followed by the "Game Over" cue. Sonic couldn't help but laugh a little as Tails, infuriated by how close he had gotten to beating the game, threw his hands and the DualScreen into the air and yelled, "Are you <em>kidding</em> me?!" The DualScreen landed next to him, still displaying the "Game Over" screen. He glowered at it and snapped the lid shut. "We're gonna figure this out in the morning. Just you wait!" The fox put the console on his nightstand, lay back down, and turned around to face the wall.</p><p>Sonic chuckled again. Leave it to Tails to keep things entertaining.</p>
<hr/><p>Toon Link knew something strange had happened while he was asleep when he woke up to find himself sitting on one of the bean bag chairs in the Smash Mansion's living room. "Ummm…okay," he said. "How the heck did I get here?"</p><p>Having never sleepwalked before, he wondered how he had managed to travel from his room to the living room, which was two floors below, without injuring himself. He assumed that it was because he was fairly familiar with the entire mansion now and was able to get around without needing his eyes—or, apparently, his consciousness. "Wow," he said to himself. "I guess I don't fully know myself yet, huh? Cool!" He jumped out of the bean bag and dusted the white lobster pattern emblazoned on the front of his blue shirt. "Okay, time to go back to bed. It's gonna be another big day."</p><p>A shadow fell over him. He turned around to see Mewtwo. "Oh, hi!" he said cheerfully. "Hey, Mewtwo, guess what?! I sleepwalked here all the way from my room!"</p><p>The Pokémon had an amused look in his blue eyes. <em>"Is that so? I must admit I'm rather impressed. Any bumps or bruises?"</em></p><p>"Nope and nope!" answered Toon Link proudly. "I dunno how I did, but hey…" He raised his hands in triumph. "I did it!"</p><p>Mewtwo smiled. <em>"I suppose I should congratulate you on this achievement."</em> He gestured toward the doorway of the room. <em>"Come on. I'll accompany you on your way back to your room."</em></p><p>"Okay! Let's see if I can walk back to my room with my eyes closed."</p><p>
  <em>"I won't be helping you, so don't place the blame on me if you hurt yourself."</em>
</p><p>"Ha, no problem! That's not gonna happen." Toon Link walked out of the living room and turned right to proceed through the hallway. "Huh?" he said when he noticed that the lamps on the wall weren't lit. "Did someone forget to turn on the lights, or did the power go out?"</p><p><em>"What's wrong? Are you scared of the dark?"</em> Mewtwo teased.</p><p>"Oh, <em>stop</em> it," said the cartoon Hylian, slightly miffed. "Now stay behind me and be quiet and let me concentrate!"

</p><p>The Pokémon behind him just laughed darkly.</p><p>Toon Link closed his eyes and held his hands before himself as he walked. After a minute, he felt a wall and turned left, knowing that he was now entering the foyer. Because the foyer was so spacious, he kept his left hand on the wall to guide himself blindly toward the stairs. Eventually, his right foot struck something solid, and he made his way up the first flight of stairs.</p><p>"Hey, I'm actually doing pretty well," he said to himself. "Mewtwo! Are you watching this?"</p><p>No one replied. He stopped walking and waited for an answer. When silence continued to follow, he sighed. "Oh, c'mon, Mewtwo. This isn't funny—"</p><p>Something grabbed his right arm and hoisted him high into the air. His eyes flew open and he began to struggle against the tight grip of his assailant.</p><p>"Not funny!" he shouted desperately. "Not funny at all! Ugh, I don't even have my sword with me!"</p><p>"And where do you think that sword might be, boy?"

</p><p>Toon Link stopped flailing in the air and went rigid with shock. He recognized that deep, intimidating voice…and then his thoughts were interrupted when he was thrown into a wall.</p><p>"Boy!" the voice barked. "Look at me!"</p><p>Toon Link lay on the floor and groaned in pain. "…Nghhh…! That hurts…" With great effort, he raised his head to look at his attacker.</p><p>Ganondorf towered over him, his body pulsating with darkness. The cartoon Hylian whimpered in fear when he realized that this Ganondorf was not the one that was currently a Smasher.</p><p>This one had the blade of a sword with a purple hilt embedded in his skull.</p><p>Ganondorf withdrew two swords from the sleeves of his billowing black robe and pointed one of them at Toon Link. His amber eyes flashed as he laughed maliciously. He was acting as though the Master Sword in his head wasn't there. "LINK!" he bellowed. "Come! Face your opponent!"</p><p>With a sudden surge of adrenaline, Toon Link leaped to his feet and glowered at the evil king. "G-Ganon!" he snapped contemptuously. "At least let me grab some weapons first!"</p><p>For a brief moment, Ganondorf paused, taken aback by the young Hylian's outburst. Then he laughed carelessly. "What is this?" he said. "A little more vocal than before, eh? That's fine with me." He lunged forward. "All the more reason to kill you so I <em>won't have to hear your irritating voice again!</em>"</p><p>Toon Link squealed in terror when the dark king's swords cut the air directly above his head. As Ganondorf brought the swords back for another blow, the cartoon Hylian whirled around and dashed up the rest of the stairs, three steps at a time. Ganondorf roared and followed him in close pursuit.</p><p>"Why?" cried Toon Link as he ran. "Why now? Why <em>here</em>? How is it even possible? The Master Sword should've sealed him away!"</p><p>"But it did not," Ganondorf replied with a sneer. He thrust a sword at Toon Link, who dodged it by diving onto the ground and rolling. "You have grown weak—weak and afraid. I can sense your fear. Are you not the Hero of Time reborn?"</p><p>Toon Link ducked under another thrust and raced up the stairs to the second floor. "I'm—I'm not scared of you!" he bluffed. "I'd be in much better shape if you'd stay still and let me grab my weapons…or take that sword out of your head!"</p><p>Ganondorf smiled wickedly. The blade of the Master Sword in his head gleamed with a sinister light. Toon Link shuddered and continued to run for his life. By some stroke of luck, he came upon the Smashers' rooms that were on the second floor. He skidded to a stop before a door with a top painted on it, and he pounded on it. "Mr. Game &amp; Watch! R.O.B.!" he shouted. "Please let me in!" He looked to his left and was horrified to see Ganondorf's hulking figure looming out of the darkness. "This is really bad! <em>Guys!</em>"</p><p>The door suddenly opened, causing him to nearly fall inside. R.O.B. stood in the doorway. "Oh, Toon Link!" he said with some surprise. "What are you doing out of bed? It's very late and you've probably already woken up half of the mansion, if not all of it!"</p><p>The cartoon Hylian sped into the robot's room and slammed the door shut. Then he proceeded to stack anything he could get his hands on in front of the door.</p><p>"Ah…pardon me, Toon Link," exclaimed R.O.B., sounding bewildered, "but what has gotten into you?"</p><p>"We have an intruder!" Toon Link answered as he pushed a dresser forward. "It's Ganondorf! From my world!"</p><p>It took R.O.B. a few seconds to process this. "Wait… The Ganondorf from <em>your</em> world?" he said incredulously. "But didn't you say that—"</p><p>"He's dead, yes! Or he's supposed to be dead." Toon Link shoved a nightstand next to the dresser. "I don't know how he's alive or how he even got here! Hey, where's GW?"</p><p>"Mr. Game &amp; Watch? He's fine."</p><p>The vagueness of R.O.B.'s answer made Toon Link pause for a few seconds. R.O.B. was a very matter-of-fact individual who normally answered questions as precisely as he could. Toon Link had no time to ponder this, though, so he quickly returned to the matter at hand. "Okay." He stepped back to examine his makeshift barricade. "Okay…this should hold him off for a bit." He grabbed one of R.O.B.'s cold, metallic hands. "C'mon, we gotta get outta here! I'm the one he wants, so I have to make sure no one else gets hurt. Let's go through the window!"</p><p>"Uh—ah—all right!" R.O.B. grabbed the bottom of the windowpane and slid it upward. Toon Link jumped through the opening and landed on the grassy ground below. R.O.B. was too large, so he used his Robo Beam to carve a hole in the wall, through which he exited his room. "What about your weapons?" he asked when he landed next to Toon Link.</p><p>The cartoon Hylian shook his head. "There's no time to get them now, and we might risk getting someone seriously injured…or worse." He scanned his dark surroundings. The moon had completely disappeared behind the clouds, which unnerved him somewhat. "Watch your back! That guy could be anywhere…"</p><p>Then R.O.B. made a mechanical shrieking sound that made Toon Link think of rusty metal being twisted. The robot fell face-forward, orange and yellow sparks dancing around the silver blade of the sword that had been run through his upper body.</p><p>Toon Link was frozen in place. "…R.O.B.…? What…" He slowly turned around, only to see Ganondorf standing over him and preparing to bring his second sword down.</p><p>
  <em>"Liiiiiink!"</em>
</p><p>A small figure swung down and kicked Ganondorf in the forehead, making him stumble backward and growl in pain. The newcomer gracefully somersaulted through the air and landed at Toon Link's side. The Smasher could only stare in disbelief. "Wait—<em>Tetra?!</em>"</p><p>"Long time no see, Link!" said Tetra, winking at him. "You seem to be in a tight spot right now. I think you'll be needing this." She handed a shield with a reflective surface to him. "It's your Mirror Shield! Remember what we did last time?"</p><p>Toon Link nodded as he strapped the Mirror Shield to his right arm. "Tetra…how did you—"</p><p>"Save the chitchat for later!" said the pirate cheerfully. "We have a king of darkness to defeat." She quickly readjusted the red bandana around her neck, and then she brought out a bow and nocked a golden arrow. With a nod, she said, "Okay, Link. We did this once before, so we can do it again!"</p><p>"Got it." Toon Link glared at Ganondorf, who leered back at him. "Ganon! You're going down!"</p><p>The dark king roared with laughter. "Bold words from a helpless child!" He yanked his sword out of R.O.B.'s motionless body; Toon Link winced at the awful sound it made. "Are you ready to make your last stand?"</p><p>The two Hylians split up and began to run around Ganondorf. Tetra drew back the arrow in her bow. "Now, Link!" she called.</p><p>The Smasher immediately lifted his Mirror Shield. Tetra aimed at him and released her arrow, which shone with a bright golden light. The Light Arrow flew toward Toon Link, who deflected it with his shield and made it fly toward Ganondorf. The king of darkness grunted a little when the arrow struck his chest.</p><p>"I'll have to rely on you for this fight, Tetra!" yelled Toon Link apologetically. "I don't have my sword!"</p><p>"That's all right! This is my way of paying you back for everything that you did last time. Heads up!" The pirate fired another arrow at Toon Link's Mirror Shield; the arrow ricocheted off the shield and hit Ganondorf's back. The dark king bellowed in outrage and charged at Toon Link.</p><p>"Ah! I gotcha covered, Link!" Tetra fitted three Light Arrows to her bow and released them at the same time. Ganondorf suddenly swung his right sword and deflected all three arrows. The golden light that gave them their name morphed into black shadows as they flew back toward Tetra…and before she could react, one of the darkness-enveloped arrows sank so deeply into her stomach that its sharpened tip emerged from her back.</p><p>"…Wh-wha…?" The pirate looked down, astonished to see the shaft of the arrow protruding from her body. Shadows poured out of the wound. "…L…Link…?" she whispered. "…I'm… I'm sor…" Her body dissipated into black dust and vanished completely before she could finish her last sentence.</p><p>Toon Link screamed. <em>"TETRAAAAA!"</em></p><p>Ganondorf kicked him onto the ground, making him fall onto his back, and placed his foot on his chest. The Smasher fought as hard as he could to free himself, but it was to no avail. The dark king bent down and put his face right in front of Toon Link's. He was so close to the cartoon Hylian that the latter could see the ornate details of the Master Sword that was buried in the former's head.</p><p>"So, Hero of Winds," said Ganondorf with a wide grin, "it has all come down to this. Your dear Princess Zelda is no more, and it was all because of one thing."</p><p>Toon Link could do nothing but quietly moan in agony. He had no energy left to fight back.</p><p>"It was because of your <em>incompetence</em>!" the dark king spat in his face, and he raised one of his swords. "Now, allow me to show you your despondent future…"

</p><p>"Please," begged Toon Link desperately, "please don't kill me. Please don't kill me! I'll do anything for you!"</p><p>Ganondorf gave him a long, cold look. "…Going down that route now, eh?" he finally said. "Alas, my dear child, I fear that begging will get you nowhere now." Then he remembered something. "Ah, yes…" He dropped his swords and reached for the Master Sword in his head. Toon Link's eyes widened in shock and terror when he effortlessly removed the divine sword from his head and gripped the purple-colored hilt in his right hand.</p><p>"H-how?" he almost shouted. "A person with such a dark heart like you shouldn't be able to even <em>touch</em> the Master Sword!"</p><p>"Oh, is that so? Perhaps the gods now favor some other individual." The murderous look in Ganondorf's eerie yellow eyes greatly frightened the Smasher. The dark king raised the Master Sword and pointed its tip at his victim. "Do you remember what I said to you, boy? About the wind?"</p><p>"The… The wind…?" Toon Link barely managed to whisper.</p><p>"Yes…the cruel wind that blew across my country. The wind that burned the land when the sun rose high into the sky, and the wind that chilled our homes when the moon climbed into the dark of the night. No matter where it came, it carried the same thing." Ganondorf leered at the Smasher as his eyes took on a strange blue glow. <em>"Death."</em></p><p>The Master Sword's glowing blade plummeted toward him.</p>
<hr/><p>When Zelda heard the scream, she sprang out of her bed and burst out of her room. Her roommates were snapped awake by the loud <em>bang</em> that the door made when it slammed against the wall. Peach went to the doorway and peered outside to see the other princess practically flying down the stairs and vanishing around the corner. "Zelda?" she called with uncertainty, but she didn't receive a reply.</p><p>The double doors of the living room were nearly blown off their hinges when Zelda shoved them open. She saw Toon Link, who was wearing his blue lobster pajamas, curled up in a ball on a bean bag chair. He holding his head as though in pain and crying someone's name.</p><p>"Tetra," he shrieked in between sobs, <em>"Tetra!"</em></p><p>Zelda was at his side within a second and pulled him into a comforting hug. "Shhh, it's okay, Toon," she whispered as she rocked him back and forth. "It's okay. Tetra is okay. It was just a bad dream. None of it was real."</p><p>"T-T…" Toon Link sniffled and slowly opened his large, cat-like eyes. "…Oh…hi…Zelda…" he said in a hushed voice, and then he threw his arms around her. He was obviously still terrified. "It was so <em>awful</em>!" he whimpered. "Ganon came back and he…killed R.O.B.…and…and…!"</p><p>"Shhh, shhhhh." Zelda tenderly stroked his blond hair. "It's okay. Don't think about it. It's all over, isn't it? R.O.B., Tetra… All of your friends are perfectly fine."</p><p>"…I'm…so scared…"</p><p>Zelda gathered Toon Link in her arms and began to make her way back to the third floor, where both of their rooms were. As she walked, she softly hummed a song to the young Hylian. It was a lullaby that she had learned a long time ago; titled "Zelda's Lullaby," it had been written just for her. The Hylian princess' soothing voice instantly calmed Toon Link, his ragged breathing steadying and quieting down. As Zelda continued to hum and rock him back and forth, his eyelids began to feel heavy, and then…</p><p>Zelda eventually noticed that Toon Link had fallen asleep in her arms. She smiled at him and carried him back to his room. Link was already waiting in front of the door.</p><p>"Watch him as he sleeps," Zelda said to him as she handed Toon Link over to him. "I know you're tired, but…just for tonight, please?"</p><p>Link nodded in understanding and looked at his cartoon counterpart. "He looks like he had a very rough night…"</p><p>"I found him in the living room. He was having a terrible nightmare."</p><p>Link frowned a little when he heard this. "I think I had one as well," he said, "but it was very brief." His expression grew dark. "I…don't want to talk about what I saw. But I'm just…glad to see that you're okay."</p><p>Zelda hugged him. "Oh, you, don't worry so much!" she scolded him playfully. "Just go back to bed. I'm about to do just that." She then gave him a quick peck on the cheek, surprising him. "Good night, Link."</p><p>Link was unable to reply for a second. At last, he recovered and chuckled quietly while rubbing the back of his head. He was glad that Zelda couldn't see his pink cheeks in the darkness. "Um…uh…y-yeah," he said, stammering a little. "Good night, Zelda. See you in the morning."</p><p>Zelda smiled and went back to her room.</p>
<hr/><p>Cresselia swatted at Darkrai with one of her wings. <em>"What took you so long?"</em> she demanded suspiciously as she gave him a new Lunar Wing.</p><p>Darkrai just laughed nervously.</p>
<hr/><p>While Fox, Falco, and Wolf had smartly made the decision of going to bed right away after managing to sneak past Master Hand, Ness and Lucas decided that they weren't finished yet.</p><p>"…And that's the gist of it," Lucas concluded.</p><p>Ness tilted his head. "Whatever you dreamed sounds really wild, but I like the concept," he said. "I'm not sure if we're able to go that far, though."</p><p>"But with Jeff's help, we can maybe make it into a reality!" Lucas insisted, and he looked to his left. "Right, Jeff?"</p><p>The Assist Trophy named Jeff Andonuts didn't look so pleased about being shaken awake by the two Smashers. "Uh-huhhh…yeah…sure," he said slowly, still half asleep. "Dream on. Even I can't make something like that."</p><p>Lucas was stunned. "What? C'mon, Jeff, help me out here. Everyone would <em>love</em> it if we made a video game about the Super Smash Brothers' experiences in Subspace<a href="#ssbb" id="ssbbback" name="ssbbback"><sup>6</sup></a>!"</p><p>"No, no, no. I mean, you're right that everyone would love it, but where would we find the time? Or the funds? Or the artists or the music? Does either of you know how to code? There's a lot more to making a video game than just <em>thinking</em> about it."</p><p>"…Oh…" Lucas was crestfallen. "You're making a lot of good points."</p><p>Ness patted the blond-haired boy on the back. "It's okay, Lucas," he said encouragingly. "Maybe <em>we</em> can't make it, but there should definitely be someone out there who's already getting started."</p><p>"You really think so?"</p><p>"Positive! There are billions of people around the world, and there are billions more in other worlds. And there might be billions of worlds out there. So there's gotta be <em>billions</em> of billions of people, and it's impossible that none of them aren't doing exactly what you dreamed of!"</p><p>Hearing this made Lucas feel a little better. "You know…I think you're right, Ness. You always are."</p><p>Jeff rubbed his eyes in exhaustion and yawned loudly. "Then I guess it's settled. Can I please sleep now?"</p><p>"Yes, you can—sorry for keeping you up." Ness turned back to Lucas. "Now let's go to bed! We might get picked for the upcoming Brawls."</p><p>"Yeah. See you in the morning, guys!"</p><p>"Good night…"</p><p>"G'night!"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p><a id="samusheight" name="samusheight"></a>1. Samus' canon height is actually 6'3" without her suit, which makes her an absolute monster of a woman. But in <em>SSBB</em>, she's clearly shorter than Snake, who is basically exactly six feet tall. So…I changed some things. <a href="#samusheightback">Back</a></p><p><a id="brewstervday" name="brewstervday"></a>2. In the Animal Crossing games, Brewster serves hot chocolate to his customers on February 14th, which is Valentine's Day. <a href="#brewstervdayback">Back</a></p><p><a id="kerotan" name="kerotan"></a>3. It's a Kerotan from the <em>Metal Gear</em> series. In <em>MGS3</em>, hitting all 64 Kerotans in the game gives you the "Kerotan" title and unlocks stealth camouflage for subsequent playthroughs of the game. <a href="#kerotanback">Back</a></p><p><a id="baddreams" name="baddreams"></a>4. Headcanon: When Darkrai holds a Lunar Wing, his Bad Dreams ability is suppressed. <a href="#baddreamsback">Back</a></p><p><a id="dualscreen" name="dualscreen"></a>5. Based on the Nintendo DS. <a href="#dualscreenback">Back</a></p><p><a id="ssbb" name="ssbb"></a>6. Lucas just wants to make <em>Super Smash Bros. Brawl</em>. <a href="#ssbbback">Back</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Three! Two! One! GO!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sonic visits his world to continue his tradition of duking it out with Dr. Eggman, while Lucario and Snake duke it out in a Brawl. Master Hand and the Smashers discover something surprising about Lucario.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sometimes, Master Hand made very unwise life decisions that he regretted almost immediately after making them. This included allowing Crazy Hand to be the Smash Mansion's alarm clock.</p><p>If alarm clocks could fly through buildings and drop bombs every twenty feet or so, then Crazy Hand could indeed be called one.</p><p>
  <em>"It's seven thirtyyyyy!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Boom.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Wakey-WAKEY!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Boom!</em>
</p><p><em>"GET </em>UUUUUUUP<em>!"</em></p><p>
  <em>BOOM!</em>
</p><p>The last explosion launched Diddy Kong out of his bed and onto the ground. "Why the <em>heck</em>," he screeched as he threw a fit on the floor, "is Master Hand <em>still</em> letting Crazy Hand be our alarm clock?!"</p><p>Somehow, Donkey Kong remained asleep and didn't make any signs of waking up until Diddy Kong began to use him as a trampoline. Unfortunately for the monkey, the first thing the gorilla did when he awoke was to throw his nephew across the room and at the wall, which the monkey collided into with a loud <em>crash</em>.</p><p>"…That…hurt…" whimpered Diddy Kong as he slid onto the floor.</p><p>In the Hylian Smashers' room, Link was already dressed in his signature green tunic and pointed cap. Now he was sitting on his bed and polishing the silver blade of his Master Sword. "It's Monday, Toon," he said to the still figure beneath the covers of the bed across his own. "How are you feeling?"</p><p>Toon Link didn't move. "I hate Mondays," he grumbled sleepily.</p><p>"Well, whining about it isn't going to change anything, is it?" Link examined his sword, nodded, and slid it into its blue and gold scabbard. The blade made a smooth, metallic sound as it fit perfectly into the scabbard. "Come on, get up already." He sniffed the air and smelled something familiar. "Hm…they made pancakes. Didn't you become fond of those only recently?" He glanced around the room, and it didn't take long for a brilliant plan to click into his mind.</p><p>"Hey, Toon!" he exclaimed as he ran over to the cartoon Hylian's bed to shake him awake. "If you don't get up now…<em>Bowser is going to eat all the pancakes!</em>"</p><p>That did it. With a shrill cry, Toon Link leaped out of his bed and, still dressed in his blue lobster pajamas, burst out of the room, screaming, <em>"NOT MY PANCAAAAAKES!"</em></p><p>Link heard the boy fly down the stairs, descending three steps at a time. "It seems like he's fully recovered from his nightmare…" he murmured with a nervous chuckle.</p><p>By the time it was 7:45 AM, about half of the Smashers were in the dining hall and going around the food counters to pick up some things to eat. Toon Link managed to secure a rather impressive pile of pancakes, and as he walked to the table where Ness and Lucas were waiting, Bowser approached him. The look that the cartoon Hylian gave him was so venomous that he quickly took a step back and let the boy pass first.</p><p>"What the…?" he muttered, baffled.</p><p>"Eh, don't worry about him."</p><p>The Koopa king turned to see Wario standing behind him, watching Toon Link walk away. "That kid's always like that when pancakes are on the menu," said the treasure hunter with an unconcerned shrug. "Haven't ya noticed?"</p><p>"…But I don't even <em>like</em> pancakes…"</p><p>Wario snorted and said, "Heh, like <em>he</em> cares!" He eyed the remaining pancakes on one of the food counters with a greedy look. "Okay. Gotta grab some grub. I'll see ya later…"</p><p>Two tables away from them, Snake was rubbing his forehead as though in pain. Lucario looked at him with concern. "Again?" he said.</p><p>The mercenary just nodded.</p><p>"If it keeps up at this rate, I'm going to tell Cresselia to stay in your room until they stop," said Lucario half-jokingly. "Are you fine with that?"</p><p>Snake rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. "What makes you think I am?"</p><p>The Aura Pokémon just shrugged and replied, "Well, look, it's much better than having a nightmare every night. Or I'll just get some Lunar Wings—"</p><p>"Please don't. Cresselia has already given up enough of those things. I swear there's a spot on her left side that's starting to go bald. And besides," Snake murmured in a barely audible voice, "these kinds of nightmares can't be instantly cured with some magical feathers…"</p><p>Breakfast went by a little faster than normal, likely because the Smashers were eager to know who would be selected for the first three Brawls of the week. Master Hand patiently waited for the last few stragglers who had forgotten to grab their weapons or dress in their battle attire to arrive in the Brawl Room before beginning to make a brief announcement.</p><p><em>"Good morning, Smash Brothers,"</em> he said to the crowd before him. <em>"I hope you were able to sleep relatively well last night."</em></p><p>He was greeted with an awkward silence. Several Smashers stared at him with stony expressions.</p><p>"…<em>Relatively</em>?" Ike finally said in disbelief as he pointed at the dark circles beneath his eyes.</p><p>"Master Hand, the sarcasm in your voice is hardly unrecognizable," noted Marth.</p><p>"Hey, does anyone know what was making those frog sounds?" asked Luigi. "I know I heard something strange last night."</p><p>Master Hand pretended not to hear the plumber's question and instead addressed Marth. <em>"Perhaps the sarcasm in my voice is hardly unrecognizable because I am not making any attempts to disguise it,"</em> he said dryly. <em>"Let us move on. Sonic,"</em> he then said, addressing the hedgehog, <em>"Tails the Fox informed me earlier this morning that he had received a distress call from a town called Chun-nan…"</em></p><p>"Hey, I know that place!" said Sonic excitedly as he remembered his adventures as a werehog in the aforementioned town.</p><p>
  <em>"…which has been overwhelmed by the Badniks of a certain doctor…"</em>
</p><p>"Aw, not again."</p><p><em>"…who is currently trying to take control of the town,"</em> finished Master Hand. <em>"Therefore, I will—"</em></p><p>"—send me on a mission to stop Eggman and lend a hand to Chun-nan and get Eggman outta there and return to the Smash Mansion in time for the second Brawl, right?" Sonic said with one breath. Before Master Hand could reply, the hedgehog rattled on, "Cool, thanks for the info. I'm gonna find Tails so he and I can fly over to Chun-nan. Good luck to whoever's in the first Brawl! Now I gotta run and TAILS! I SMELL A ROTTEN EGG AND I THINK YOU CAN SMELL IT, TOO!" The hedgehog grinned at the Smashers. "Later, guys!" Before anybody could blink, he had vanished from the room.</p><p>Master Hand was fairly flustered. <em>"…Well,"</em> he said, <em>"I was </em><em>about to tell him to bring a partner or two to speed things up, but…"</em></p><p>"Oh, c'mon, Master," said Bowser with a short and explosive laugh. "Are you really gonna ask <em>Sonic</em> to speed things up?"</p><p><em>"You have made an excellent point, Bowser."</em> Master Hand gestured toward the large television screen that covered a large portion of the back wall of the Brawl Room. <em>"It is about time that we began the first Brawl of the new week!"</em></p><p>Everybody looked enthusiastic at this statement. Brawls were exciting things in the Smash Mansion, as they gave the residents first-hand demonstrations of every person's prowess as a fighter. With each Brawl, there was something to learn about each Smasher. The Brawls took place inside the Smash Mansion, but they didn't take place in real life; instead, they occurred within a virtual reality. Smashers chosen to fight in a Brawl would be teleported from the real world into a virtual environment created by a machine called the Brawl System, and whatever was happening in the virtual world would be projected onto an enormous television screen that hung on the wall of the Brawl Room for spectators to watch. Master Hand had smartly chosen to make the Brawls take place in a simulated environment to avoid having to send Smasher after Smasher to the Smashville Hospital day after day.</p><p>There were quiet whispers around the town that the master of the Smash Mansion planned to host a tournament of sorts in a few months' time. If this proved to be true, then the people of Smashville would finally have their first chance of personally seeing the Smashers in action. The Smashers were often asked if Master Hand was truly arranging a tournament whenever they went down to Smashville Plaza; because even they had no clue, they could only apologetically tell the townspeople that Master Hand was very secretive and had never mentioned anything about a tournament to any of the Smashers, and that they should stop gossiping about this rumor in case there were actually no plans for a tournament at all.</p><p>As Master Hand floated to the television screen, the Smashers quickly went over the usual process: Master Hand would randomly choose two Smashers to fight in the Brawl, and depending on what kind of Brawl would take place, he would choose one or two more for a maximum of four Smashers in one Brawl. The type of Brawl changed each week—last week featured Team Brawls, in which two Smashers were pitted against another two Smashers, so this week's Brawls would be one-on-one among two, three, or four Smashers. The type of Brawl also shifted between stock-themed or time-themed:</p><p>In Stock Brawls, each Smasher was given a certain amount of lives, and the last Smasher to remain standing was the winner.</p><p>In Time Brawls, a timer was set for a certain amount of time, and the Smasher who racked up the most points from defeating his or her opponent(s) would win. If two or more Smashers were tied when time ran out, they would have to fight in a Sudden Death match. In Sudden Death, each Smasher had extremely high damage, making him or her prone to being launched off the stage, and whoever remained standing would be the winner of the Sudden Death, as well as the Brawl itself.</p><p>Brawls took place on a variety of stages that were built in the Brawl System's virtual world. Some stages, like the Battlefield and Final Destination, were original, but most of the stages were inspired by real locations from the Smash Mansion residents' worlds of origin. For example, there was a stage called Green Greens that was modeled after the real Green Greens in Kirby's world. Many stages were dynamic, meaning the entire platform could move or travel around as Smashers fought on it. The Halberd stage, for instance, consisted of a platform that would fly through the air with the Battleship Halberd in the background, occasionally landing on the Halberd itself to leave Smashers open to be attacked by the battleship's various armaments. Some stages also featured background characters, a few of whom could directly harm Smashers. Every stage had a variety of background music, and one random track would play as a Brawl occurred.</p><p>Master Hand turned to face the crowd of quiet Smashers. <em>"This week,"</em> he said, pausing for a moment for additional suspense, <em>"will feature one-on-one Stock Brawls."</em></p><p>Several Smashers released audible sighs of relief. Stock Brawls were plain and simple and could never result in the much hated Sudden Deaths—unless two opponents lost their last lives at the exact same time, but the chances of that happening were quite slim.</p><p><em>"All items except Poké Balls, Assist Trophies, and the Smash Ball will be turned off. Items will appear at a low rate. Each Smasher chosen for this week's Brawls will be given two lives. Lives are lost by traveling past any of the blast lines around the stage. The last Smasher to remain on the stage is the winner. And now,"</em> the large hand said, <em>"let us see which two Smashers will be chosen for today's Brawl."</em></p><p>The moment he said this, the television screen behind him flashed and came to life to reveal three lists—two that contained the names of all the Smashers, and one that had the names of all the stages. Each list began to scroll and they eventually stopped together.</p><p><em>"Lucario and Snake shall have a Brawl on the Spear Pillar stage!"</em> announced Master Hand.</p><p>The look of absolute dismay on Lucario's face was so hilarious that several Smashers, including Snake, laughed. It was well known throughout the Smash Mansion that the Aura Pokémon and the mercenary were very close friends, despite hailing from completely different worlds. Apparently, some event during the Subspace Incident had brought them together.</p><p>"Why him?" Lucario whined helplessly. "Of all the possible Smashers…it had to be <em>him?</em>"</p><p>Snake reached over and flicked the Pokémon's nose, surprising him. "Calm down<em>,</em>" he said placidly.</p><p>Lucario did calm down, but he remained disappointed. Master Hand soon saw no reason to continue procrastinating, so he went to Lucario and Snake and asked, <em>"Does either of you have any questions?"</em></p><p>They shook their heads.</p><p><em>"Excellent. Let us begin!"</em> the hand declared. The two Smashers vanished from the room as he snapped his fingers.</p>
<hr/><p>Fox wasn't terribly surprised when he looked around the room and couldn't find Meta Knight. The masked knight was particularly good at slipping away unnoticed. The vulpine had a good idea of where the knight could be, though, and after glancing at the television screen to see Lucario and Snake about to start fighting, he walked out of the Brawl Room and in the direction of the mansion's foyer.</p><p>"Hey, wait up!"</p><p>Fox stopped to let Falco catch up to him. "You're not watching the Brawl, either?" he asked as he resumed walking.</p><p>"Nah," Falco replied. "As much as I'd like to see two best friends duke it out on each other, I'm more interested in seeing Meta Knight's progress on the Halberd."</p><p>"Looks like we're thinking on the same wavelength."</p><p>They entered the foyer and went to the elevator doors, one set of which chimed and opened immediately after Fox pushed the down button. Once he and Falco were inside, Fox pressed a button labeled <em>B2</em>, and the doors closed. Falco whistled a jaunty tune as the elevator glided down to the second-floor basement.</p><p>"Man," said Fox happily, "I'm so glad Link and Zelda were able to persuade Master Hand to add background music to all the Brawl stages when we started the whole Brawl thing. It makes the Brawls so much more dramatic."</p><p>Falco stopped whistling and said, "A part of me wishes Master Hand had also added music to the elevators."</p><p>"Uh, no. Elevator music always sucks."</p><p>"What if the elevator music consisted of video game soundtracks?"</p><p>"I guess that would be nice, but those might be too…<em>epic</em> for something as simple as a ride in an elevator."</p><p>"Who are <em>you</em> to say that elevators are simple?!"</p><p>"Very funny."</p><p>The elevator suddenly lurched and dinged as it reached the Smashers' destination. Fox and Falco stepped out and entered the second-floor basement, which mainly consisted of a huge hangar. The first thing they saw was the colossal Battleship Halberd, which dwarfed almost every other aircraft parked inside the hangar, including Star Fox's own Great Fox. The Halberd was in a sorry state, having been practically demolished during the Subspace Incident. After the Smashers' narrow escape from the sinister realm of Subspace, Meta Knight had insisted on searching for what remained of the airship; miraculously, the fighters had managed to find and recover nearly every part of it, which they brought to Smashville for reconstruction. Meta Knight spent almost every spare moment bringing the Halberd back to working order.</p><p>Fox whistled quietly. "He's really dedicated."</p><p>"Yeah. Makes me ashamed of myself." Falco stepped forward and called, "Yo, Meta! Where are you hiding now?"</p><p>Meta Knight appeared out of nowhere with a flourish of his purple cape, making Falco yelp with surprise and step on Fox's foot. "<em>Jeez,</em> dude!" protested the avian Smasher. "One day, I'm gonna make sure you stop doing that!"</p><p>"Good luck with that." The masked knight turned to Fox. "What brings you two here?"</p><p>"Well, we saw that you weren't in the Brawl Room when the Brawl started, which likely meant that you were hanging out in the hangar, and since neither of us felt like watching the Brawl, we figured that we could help you with the Halberd before we all head back for the second Brawl," the vulpine explained. "I need to get my hands a little dirty, anyway."</p><p>Meta Knight nodded. "I see. Thank you very much for volunteering. Blade Knight and Sword Knight are helping me with the Combo Cannon. There are Waddle Dees cleaning up the interior…" He pointed toward the top of the Halberd. "Perhaps you can begin with restoring the bridge."</p><p>"The Halberd's bridge can't be much different from the Great Fox's, right?" said Falco. "We can figure it out."</p><p>The masked knight heaved a heavy sigh. "Thank you," he said gratefully. "This will definitely speed things up a little." His cape then transformed into a pair of bat-like wings, and he took off and disappeared from view.</p><p>"…Let's get to it, then," Fox suggested.</p><p>"Yeah," agreed Falco. "I wanna do as much as possible before Lucario and Snake finish beating each other up."</p>
<hr/><p>The Spear Pillar stage was based on a real location from Red the Pokémon Trainer's world. It was a place in the Sinnoh Region where three ancient Legendary Pokémon—Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina—were said to have been created by Arceus, the Original One. It was also said that Sinnoh itself began at the Spear Pillar and spread from there. The Spear Pillar was located on the peak of Mt. Coronet, the tallest mountain in Sinnoh, and it was here where Red's friend Dawn encountered the trio of ancient Pokémon.</p><p>On the Brawl stage that was based on this legendary site, there was a dais in the center of the background, on which a digital simulation of either Dialga or Palkia would appear to act as a stage hazard. On rare occasions, the real Cresselia would turn up, although she had nothing to do with the Spear Pillar.</p><p>Lucario appeared on the left side of the stage and surrounded his paws with cyan-colored aura. Then he looked at the sky.</p><p>
  <em>…It's blue…</em>
</p><p>One could determine which Legendary Pokémon would appear on the dais at the back of the stage by checking the color of the sky. Dialga would appear if it was blue, Palkia if it was pink, and Cresselia if it was clear. The current bluish color of the stage indicated that Dialga was set to appear.</p><p>Snake emerged on the stage's opposite side, whitish electricity crackling around his body as his stealth camouflage disengaged. The gentle breeze tugged at his bandana as he stood up and smirked at Lucario, who responded with a frown. Each Smasher's left palm emitted a small white glow, and they glanced at their hands to see a damage meter at 0%. They got into fighting stances as Master Hand started the countdown.</p><p><em>"Three!"</em> his voice boomed. <em>"Two! One! GO!"</em></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-4yzKnRUTc">A rock song</a> blasted out of nowhere, filling the air with epic guitar riffs and wild cymbal crashes.</p><p>"That's a good choice of background music," said Lucario to himself, "'cause now I'm ready for a good fight!" He leaped up, intending to lure Snake into the air, knowing that the mercenary's aerial game was dismal when compared to his abilities on the ground. Snake, however, saw this coming and hurtled across the stage, dodging Lucario's downward kick as he did. He then spun around and turned back to the Aura Pokémon, who had just landed on the ground. Lucario let out a tiny "yikes" of surprise when two grenades rolled to his feet. He jumped onto one of the two floating platforms above him and barely escaped the blast.</p><p>"Heh." Snake was chuckling, but not unkindly. "Nice reflexes. Good to see that you've been keeping up with your training."</p><p>Lucario just grimaced. Then he said, "The sky is blue, Snake! I hope you know what that means."</p><p>Snake sprang onto the second floating platform and balled up his fists. "You bet I do," he said as he stared levelly into Lucario's crimson eyes. "It means I'd better get you off this stage at least once before that big blue dinosaur decides to mess around with time."</p><p>The Aura Pokémon smiled and nodded. He then gawked when the other Smasher suddenly pulled out his Nikita missile launcher and fired a missile at him.</p><p>"Now <em>stay focused!</em>"</p><p>The missile exploded in Lucario's face, throwing him off the floating platform and onto the ground. He glanced at his left palm and saw that the glowing white numbers had changed from 0% to 14%. He coughed twice and looked at the ground, where there was a Poké Ball that was waiting to be thrown.</p><p>"How convenient!" Lucario scooped up the ball and tossed it across the stage. The moment it hit the surface of the Spear Pillar, it burst open with a flash of white light and released a Weavile. The dark-furred, weasel-like Pokémon snarled at Snake, who hopped off his floating platform and ran over the edge of the stage. Lucario's Weavile attempted to attack the mercenary with False Swipe but ended up dashing off the stage and falling.</p><p>"Hey!" cried Lucario. "Get back here!" He followed Snake into the cave-like lower level of the Spear Pillar stage and found him crouching on the ground with a grenade in his hand. Lucario sidestepped the grenade and managed to nail his opponent in the chest with an Aura Sphere.</p><p>"Lucario," Snake growled when he recovered from the blow. He looked at his damage meter, which now read 9%. "This is how your foes will take advantage of you."</p><p>Lucario ducked to avoid getting clobbered by the mercenary's fist. "Well, I was just making a comment—"</p><p>"You were <em>wasting your time</em> making a comment," Snake corrected him while throwing another punch. "At least make sure your opponent is distracted if you want to have a chat!"</p><p>The two Smashers exchanged several more blows and insults before separating and returning to the main part of the stage. As they did, the area above the dais behind them flashed.</p><p>"Dialga's coming!" yelled Lucario, and then he was thrown to the floor by an explosion. He groaned in pain and raised his head to see Snake standing a few feet away, tossing a grenade up and down in his hand.</p><p>"<em>Focus</em>, Lucario," he said. "Your opponent is right here. Ignore everything else. Come on! Don't repeat that mistake you made in Subspace!" He lobbed the grenade at Lucario, who swiftly leaped to his feet, caught the grenade, and threw it back to Snake. The grenade detonated right in front of Snake and the explosion briefly flung him into the air. "That's more like it!" he shouted before making a rough landing on one of the floating platforms. <em>"Oomph!"</em></p><p>The ground quaked. Dialga, the Legendary Temporal Pokémon, stepped out of a thick cloud of black smoke. The imposing Steel- and Dragon-type Pokémon had direct control over time and could speed it up or slow it down as it pleased. It was said that time flowed with each beat of its heart. As Snake met Dialga's blazing red eyes, he had to take a moment to remind himself that the imposing beast that stood before him was not the real thing and was simply a simulation.</p><p><em>Pow!</em> Stars danced before his eyes when Lucario struck him with a wave of aura. While he reeled back from the pain, the Pokémon rushed to the center of the stage and snatched up an Assist Trophy that had appeared at some point during Dialga's arrival. The glass that encased the Assistant glowed and dissipated, letting out a Hammer Bro. "Oh yeah!" said the Koopa excitedly as he brandished his hammer. "It's hammer time!"</p><p>Snake just sighed. "Ugh. Get outta here."</p><p>Upon seeing him, the Hammer Bro narrowed his eyes. <em>"Bah!"</em> he said. "Suddenly, I've got the urge to wreck stuff! Here I come!" He began to fling a plethora of hammers at Snake, who was hit by a couple of them before he retreated to the cave beneath the stage. The Hammer Bro stopped his onslaught and considered following Snake, but he realized that he'd end up falling off the stage. He grumbled and threw a few more hammers that failed to hit anything before disappearing.</p><p>Lucario charged up an Aura Sphere and watched as Snake climbed back onto the main surface of the stage, his damage now at 30%. He released the ball of energy, feeling frustrated when Snake threw himself onto the floor at the last possible second, and the Aura Sphere passed over himself. As Lucario jumped onto a floating platform, Snake crouched and started furiously digging at the floor on the right side of the stage, creating a small hole that he stuffed a landmine into. Just as he started to cover up the hole, Dialga roared, its body glowed blue…and it levitated into the air.</p><p><em>Seriously…what a time to be alive,</em> thought Snake as he watched the Pokémon, who apparently weighed well over a thousand pounds, fly like a bird.</p><p>The Temporal Pokémon circled the sky three times before abruptly stopping above Lucario. It opened its mouth and unleashed a devastating Hyper Beam that caught Lucario by surprise and enveloped him in a torrent of searing flames<a href="#hyperbeam" id="hyperbeamback" name="hyperbeamback"><sup>1</sup></a>. By the time Dialga finished its attack and returned to the dais, Lucario's damage had jumped to 53% and the numbers had turned orange. The Aura Pokémon was very annoyed.</p>
<hr/><p>Toward the beginning of Lucario and Snake's Brawl, every Smasher was in the Brawl Room, spectating the battle. However, because everything that was happening in the current Brawl appeared to be perfectly normal, the number of Smashers in the room had dwindled down until only Master Hand, Samus, Red, Pit, and the Ice Climbers remained. Only when something out of the ordinary occurred did every Smasher stay to watch things unfold.</p><p>"Neither of them has received as much damage as I'd thought they'd have by now," noted Samus with a sideways tilt of her head.</p><p>"Maybe they're both holding back," Pit surmised.</p><p>"I'd say that's probably true because they're pretty close friends," Red suggested. "They wouldn't want to hurt each other too badly."</p><p>"Hey, look, Snake just got Lugia!" Nana piped up with excitement. "Wow, Legendary Pokémon are <em>so</em> cool."</p><p>"I know, right?!" Popo enthusiastically agreed. "No wonder everyone's always looking for them. I wonder if the people in Smashville are aware that there've been a few Legendary Pokémon living under their noses for the past three months."</p><p>"Oh, I hope they <em>aren't</em> aware," Samus moaned. "It's not like we aren't already receiving more attention than necessary."</p><p><em>"Hush,"</em> Master Hand cut in. <em>"Let us observe the Brawl."</em></p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>Lucario hollered some rude sentences at Snake as a simulation of Lugia, the Diving Pokémon, sprang out of the Poké Ball that Snake had just thrown. He started running around the stage to avoid the powerful Aeroblast that Lugia sent at him. Taking advantage of the distraction, Snake leaped into the cave beneath the main stage, threw a cardboard box over himself, and waited. Then Lucario ran toward the right side of the stage and failed to see a flashing red object on the floor. At the same time, Lugia's Aeroblast hit the object. The explosion of Snake's mine, combined with the power of the Legendary Pokémon's attack, caused Lucario to sail past the blast line to the right of the Spear Pillar stage and lose one of his two lives. Lugia disappeared with a quick flash of light, its time allowed on the stage ending. Snake returned to the main stage just in time to see Lucario vanish in a pinkish explosion.</em>
</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Oh," he said somewhat sympathetically, "maybe that was a little harsh."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Lucario descended from the sky, standing on a revival platform. He glared daggers at Snake, who shrugged and asked, "You got a problem with something?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Actually, I do." The Aura Pokémon jumped off the revival platform, which dissipated into thin air the moment his feet left it, and charged at the mercenary. "This time, fight me with your <em>own</em> fists!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Snake calmly tightened his bandana and deftly sidestepped Lucario's punch as he did. Then he rushed to the opposite end of the stage and snatched up a Poké Ball, which he threw at Lucario. To his surprise, Lucario caught the Poké Ball and hurled it back at him. A Bonsly hopped out of the ball.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Dialga roared at the sky, and everything suddenly felt sluggish. The Smashers realized that the Temporal Pokémon had caused time to slow down. Snake grabbed the Bonsly that had started to slowly stroll across the stage and, with the small but heavy Pokémon in his arms, made his way toward Lucario as quickly as he could in slow motion. Then he heaved it at his opponent. Dialga's time-slowing power didn't affect the speed at which everybody's minds worked, however, so Lucario was able to calculate ahead of time where the Bonsly that Snake had chucked at him was going to land. As the Rock-type Pokémon gracefully spun through the air, the Aura Pokémon reached up and knocked it out of its intended path, sending it back to Snake. The mercenary easily dodged it by rolling under it, and he ended up right in front of Lucario. The Aura Pokémon reacted too slowly and received a punch-punch-kick combination to the chest. The Bonsly reached its stage time limit and disappeared with a quiet <em>poof</em>.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p><em>Ow!</em> Lucario thought. He looked at his palm to see his damage meter reading 17%. <em>Wow, that really hurt…</em></p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>He was well aware that while he only had one life left, Snake still had both of his. With this in mind, he began to form a large Aura Sphere between his paws while Snake's back was turned. Right before it seemed like the mercenary was about to move away, Lucario fired the Aura Sphere from point-blank range and was satisfied to see his opponent, whose damage meter had shot up to 52%, slowly fly through the air as if a bull had rammed into him.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p><em>"DIAAAAAAAA!"</em> Dialga bellowed, and time instantly went back to normal.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>With a painful <em>thud</em>, Snake landed on the hard stone floor. The damage meter on his palm was at 52% and had gained an orange tint. He gave Lucario a displeased look and retreated to the stage's lower level. Lucario followed him cautiously…and found a cardboard box.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"You can't be serious," he said exasperatedly.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>In response, Snake poked his head out of the box, shushed him, and returned to the small space within his box. Lucario frowned, but he remained where he was and waited.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>And waited.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>And waited.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>…And waited.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Eventually, he couldn't wait any longer. "All right," he shouted angrily, "that's—"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Then Snake threw aside his box and pointed behind the Pokémon. "By the way," he said in a low voice, "there's an Assist Trophy behind you."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>When Lucario turned around to look, the mercenary shoved his elbow into his back.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p><em>"You bas—"</em> the Pokémon began to scream, but he was interrupted when he landed face-first on the ground.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"I can't believe you actually fell for that!" called Snake, laughing good-naturedly as he ran away and used his Cypher to return to the main stage.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"<em>HEY!</em> GET BACK HERE!" Lucario chased after the mercenary in a fury. Aura was radiating from his entire body—a sign that things were about to get very serious. Snake immediately stopped laughing when he noticed this, put on his best game face, and rushed back toward Lucario. The Pokémon ducked the mercenary's punch and stuck out his leg, causing him to trip. Then he grabbed his adversary and blasted him with small bursts of aura before tossing him aside. Snake was somehow able to land on his feet, and as Lucario lunged at him, he quickly whipped out what was perhaps his most devastating weapon—the RPG-7<a href="#rpg7" id="rpg7back" name="rpg7back"><sup>2</sup></a>.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Say goodbye to your last life!" he declared, and he pulled the trigger, causing the grenade at the front of the launcher to explode with a tremendous <em>BOOM</em>. But the moment it blew up, Lucario, who was only a couple feet away, flashed a smirk at Snake, and his body split into multiple semitransparent illusions of himself. Snake's attack failed to hit its target, and while he was distracted by the illusions, he was floored by a strong kick.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"…Ngh," he grunted. "Right. He could do that."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>All of a sudden, the lights dimmed. A small, glowing sphere whose color was constantly shifting through all seven colors of the rainbow materialized out of thin air and slowly bobbed high above the Spear Pillar.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Wow, even though its frequency of appearance was put on the low setting, the Smash Ball took <em>forever</em> to appear!" stated Pit with a grin. "Only took a few years, huh?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>The Ice Climbers told him to shut up because now that the Smash Ball had appeared, the Brawl was about to become much more intense.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p><em>Bam!</em> Aura surged out of Lucario's paws and shoved Snake onto the ground. The mercenary lay there, wincing in pain, and glared at his damage meter, which, in a red-orange color, showed that he had 85% damage. Meanwhile, Lucario jumped onto one of the floating platforms and vaulted into the air, swatting at the Smash Ball. He managed to push the glowing ball closer to the surface of the Spear Pillar so that he could reach it more easily. Gravity forced him to return to the stage, where Snake was waiting.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Welcome back," the mercenary greeted his opponent. He followed up by punching the Pokémon twice in the jaw, driving him backward…and right on top of a C4 that he had planted while Lucario was chasing after the Smash Ball. With a single fluid motion, Snake pulled out his detonator and pushed a button. The small block of C4 went off with an explosive <em>BOOM</em>, making Lucario fly through the air and his damage meter increase to 48%. This time, it was Snake's turn to pursue the elusive ball, which he attempted to hit with a mortar. The shell that shot out of the mortar struck the Smash Ball head-on and sent it back into the sky. Lucario snarled, hopped onto a floating platform, and chucked an Aura Sphere at the ball. It missed.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Dialga roared from its dais and ascended into the air once more. It opened its mouth and fired a Hyper Beam at the Smash Ball. The rainbow-colored ball was specially designed so that only Smashers, as well as whatever Poké Ball Pokémon or Assistant was currently helping them, could break it, so it was unscathed by the powerful move, which Lucario and Snake narrowly avoided. The Temporal Pokémon's attack caused the ball to move downward and eventually end up floating just a few feet above the Spear Pillar. Dialga finished its move and returned to the dais.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Hey, thanks!" Lucario said sarcastically to the simulation of the Legendary Pokémon. He and Snake then reacted simultaneously and swiped at the Smash Ball. Both of them missed by less than a centimeter and landed back on the stage. Just as Snake started to make another effort to get the ball, Lucario pulled him down.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"By the way," he said in a low voice, "there's an Assist Trophy behind you."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Snake rolled his eyes. "You think I'd actually fall for my own trick?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Then Lucario pushed him aside and grabbed something from the floor. Snake scowled when he saw that he had just played himself.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Let's give it all we've got!" Lucario cried as he raised the Assist Trophy above his head. Something within the glass case shone brightly and burst onto the stage. The white light faded to reveal Samurai Goroh, who immediately launched himself at Snake.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p><em>"GRAHHH!"</em> the beefy samurai and F-Zero pilot bellowed as he wildly brandished his katana at the mercenary. "I was gonna sleep in today, but you just had to ruin <em>everything</em>!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Snake leaned back as Goroh rushed at him, still swinging his katana. The sword's long blade missed him by several inches. "Of all the people who could've thought about sleeping in…why you?" he scoffed. "What happened to all of that caffeine?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Caffeine? What're you—<em>hey!</em>" shouted the samurai in realization. "You're not supposed to know about that!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Word travels fast in these parts." Snake took out his missile launcher and fired a missile at the Assistant.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Whatcha tryin' to do? Defeat <em>me</em>?" said Goroh snidely as he casually sidestepped the projectile. "You do know that you can't hurt Assistants, right?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"I do," Snake replied. "But that wasn't what I was trying to do."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>The sound of an explosion, followed by Lucario's angry howl of pain, was the telltale sign of the mercenary's foresight. Goroh just grunted when he heard the Pokémon land on the floor. "…Not bad," he said, sounding begrudgingly respectful. "But I gotta warn you—don't be so overconfident!" He pointed behind Snake, who turned around.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p><em>"Hey!"</em> the mercenary shouted as he dashed toward Lucario, who was diving at the nearly forgotten Smash Ball. "That's—well, dammit." He came to a stop when the Pokémon shattered the Smash Ball with a well-aimed punch.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Goroh roared with laughter at the look on Snake's face. "<em>Hahahaha!</em> Have fun out there, punk!" Then he vanished.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"…Thanks," Snake quietly said with a small frown. "I think."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>The rainbow-colored energy that Lucario had gained from the Smash Ball pulsed throughout his body. He soared into the sky and raised his glowing paws. <em>"Watch the power of aura</em><em>!"</em> he declared, his golden eyes flashing, and then he thrust his paws downward. <em>"HRAHHHHHH!"</em></p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Snake muttered a furious oath to himself when he saw a massive beam of bluish-white aura erupt from the Pokémon's paws and sweep across the Spear Pillar. Lucario's Aura Storm was so powerful that it raised the temperature of the air by several degrees. Snake moved quickly, hoping to be able to outrun the Final Smash until it ended. Unfortunately, the Pokémon's Final Smash was usually able to find its target and Snake wasn't one of the faster Smashers—</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>One Aura Storm later, Snake had only one life left, as did his opponent. He was not at all pleased. Inwardly, however, he was satisfied to see Lucario fighting so well.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Nicely done," he growled after he stepped off the revival platform that had brought him back to the stage. "But this is the part where you go down!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Lucario gave him a toothy grin. The dark orange numbers on his palm showed that he currently had 63% damage. "Not if I knock you out of this stage first!" he replied.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Try me," retorted the mercenary.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"With pleasure!" Lucario brought his paws back and formed an Aura Sphere that was larger than normal, which he thrust at Snake. The mercenary quickly knelt down, brought out his missile launcher, and fired one missile directly at the blue ball of aura to cancel out the attack. Lucario suddenly darted forward, scooped up a Poké Ball that was lying in front of him, and tossed it at Snake, who dodged it and let it fly off the stage. Then Lucario kicked Snake in the chest, sending him soaring toward the left edge of the Spear Pillar. Snake quickly recovered, saw Lucario rapidly approaching, and threw his fist forward…only for it to go right through the Pokémon. Lucario's form fizzed and dissipated, and only then did Snake realize that his adversary had used Double Team to avoid the attack. During his split-second revelation, he was flattened by a kick to his back.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"…Hey, Lucario," Snake said slowly as he picked himself up from the ground and noted that his damage meter was at 23%. "I'm starting to really hate that move."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Lucario snorted at this and said, "So what do you want me to do? Forget that I'm able to use Double Team?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"I was about to say that you should be proud of yourself. That was a good trick. Congratulations."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"…I'm not sure if you're complimenting me or just being sarcastic, but either way…too bad for you!" The Aura Pokémon kicked at Snake again, but he was completely caught by surprise when the mercenary grabbed his leg, swung him around, and let him fly across the stage. He bounced along the Spear Pillar's stone surface several times before coming to a full stop. His damage meter jumped up to 71%. "<em>Ow</em>, that really hurt…"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"What's wrong, Lucario?" Snake taunted. "Couldn't run? All tired already? Seems like you're slowing down." He grinned. "At this point, I'd say your <em>mouth</em> runs faster than you do!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>When Lucario heard this, the blue aura around his fists burned brighter and more furiously. "Oh, you did <em>not</em> just go there," he seethed. "You think I'm slow? You haven't seen anything yet! Now try this! <em>Extreme Speed!</em>" He whizzed across the stage, stopped right in front of Snake, and delivered a powerful uppercut to his lower jaw. The mercenary flew back and landed very heavily on the ground. "Right back at you!" Lucario shouted at him, half angry and half smug. "How did <em>that</em> feel, huh?!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Snake slowly sat up and rubbed his jaw. "Whew. I hate to admit it, but that was a really good punch," he said as he showed his damage meter, now at 39%, to Lucario. "You're pretty strong, and you're pretty fast, too." Then he smiled knowingly. "But there's just one problem."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>He raised his right hand. Lucario saw that Snake was holding his C4 detonator…and was shocked when he looked down to find a C4 attached to his right foot.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"You still need to learn how to focus."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Snake pressed a button.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p><em>BOOM!</em> A thick cloud of smoke enveloped the Pokémon as the C4 that Snake had stealthily placed on his foot discharged. The mercenary put away the C4 detonator and nodded to himself in satisfaction. <em>Lucario's</em><em> a good fighter</em>, he thought, <em>but</em><em> he's got his flaws. He still has a lot to learn…as we all do. And now…</em></p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Brawls always ended with Master Hand shouting <em>"GAME!"</em> But he hadn't done so yet, which meant the Brawl was still going on. This surprised Snake, who then realized what this meant.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>
  <em>He…survived the blast? At 71% damage? Well, well, well…</em>
</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>All at once, the smoke from the C4's explosion cleared. Snake raised a brow when he saw Lucario standing there, looking remarkably unscathed. He folded his arms.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Heh, looks like you're a lot tougher than I thought," he said to the Aura Pokémon with unconcealed marvel. "Seems like you've got some pretty good stamina. So…" He held up a grenade. "…you ready for some more?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Lucario stared at him blankly. Snake frowned.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"…Er…Lucario?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>The aura around Lucario's paws suddenly surged and surrounded his entire body. Snake took a cautious step back when the blue, flame-like aura began to take a shape. It closely resembled Lucario, but at the same time…it looked quite different. The aura had two spikes on the back of each paw, while Lucario only had one, and there appeared to be two spikes on the aura's feet. The aura also had a large, bushy tail.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Snake slowly lowered his grenade.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"What in the world is <em>that</em>?!" exclaimed Red as he jabbed a finger at the television screen.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Pit looked at him in surprise. "Wait. You mean you <em>don't</em> know what Lucario's doing?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"No, I don't!" the Pokémon Trainer replied. "I've never seen a Lucario, or any Pokémon for that matter, do that before! What's that shape supposed to be?" He turned to Master Hand. "Any ideas, Master Hand?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p><em>"…I am afraid to say that I, not unlike yourself, do not have an answer to the cause of this phenomenon,"</em> admitted the gigantic hand. <em>"Lucario appears to have gathered an astonishing amount of energy all at once. I would have mistaken this energy for that of a Smash Ball if I had not been observing this Brawl."</em></p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Popo poked Nana. "Hey, sis!" he said. "Whatever Lucario's doing is really <em>weird</em>, dontcha think? I don't think anyone has seen this before!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Nana immediately understood what her brother was getting at. "You're right, Popo! Let's go tell everyone else!" The two siblings sprinted out of the Brawl Room while hollering, "GUYYYYYS! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT JUST HAPPENED!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Samus turned to face Red. "So…we watch?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>The Trainer stood there for a few moments. Then he sighed unhappily. "I mean…that's all we could do right now, anyway."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>And so they did.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Gee, Egghead!" Sonic said to a portly man with a bushy mustache who was sitting in a semispherical hovercraft. He motioned with one hand to the small army of rotund, orange-colored robots that filled the nearby streets of Chun-nan while slowly shaking his head. "Always relying on those Egg Pawns, huh? If you're thinking about strength in numbers, I'm sorry to say that that just won't work!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Dr. Eggman just cackled like the stereotypical mad scientist—probably because he was one. "Hohoho! Always the brazen one, eh? Well!" Two of the many hidden compartments of his Egg Mobile opened up. "Let me demonstrate how that will be your undoing! Take <em>this</em>!" He prepared to smash his fist onto the Egg Mobile's control system, only to be stopped by Sonic doing the "time out" gesture.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Hold on, Doc," the hedgehog yelled. "Before we settle this once and for all, there's something I'd like to ask you!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Oh?" sneered Dr. Eggman. "You have a question for <em>me</em>?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"You bet," answered Sonic. "So. Every time you try to execute a new evil plan, you're always stopped by someone. It could be me, it could be Knuckles, it could be Shadow—<em>some</em>one. And despite the fact that you've never really succeeded with any plans, you continue to come up with new plans…only to be stopped once again by someone. So my question is…why?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Dr. Eggman raised an inquisitive brow. "…Why?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Yeah," confirmed the hedgehog. "<em>Why? </em>Why do you insist on sticking to your dream of taking over the world when that's clearly not gonna happen as long as my friends and I are here?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Wh-what's with the rhetorical questions today, hedgepig?!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"I'm just asking you an innocent question, Doc! After you answer it, we can go back to what we were doing." Sonic looked up to see a red and white biplane circling over him and Dr. Eggman. "Right, Tails?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>In the cockpit of the Tornado, Tails began to sweat. "D-d-don't look at me!" he stammered. "I'm just piloting the Tornado!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Dr. Eggman leaned back in the seat of his Egg Mobile and put a hand to his chin, rubbing it contemplatively. "Hmmm!" he said. "Why do I continue pursuing my goal of world domination? Why, that is actually a most excellent question, Sonic!" He stood up and waggled a finger at the hedgehog. "It's <em>tradition</em>!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Sonic was confused by this answer. "Uh…what?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"It's tradition!" the scientist said again, just as excitedly. "I've been your greatest nemesis for <em>years</em>! You wouldn't believe how popular our fearsome feud is with some folks. Our fanbase would be sorely disappointed if one of us were to defeat the other because that would bring an end to our famous rivalry. Therefore, the only choice I have…is to keep on coming up with new plans for your destruction!" He cackled menacingly. <em>"Hohohohoho!"</em></p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Sonic just tilted his head. "…Ooookayyyy…?" he said. "But Eggman, you just said that our fans would be disappointed if one of us defeated the other…but then you said that you'd keep on trying to get rid of me. Ain't that a bit of a contradiction?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Dr. Eggman was fed up. "Enough talk, Sonic!" he snapped. "I've dawdled around for far too long. You asked for an answer and I delivered! I suppose there isn't anything for me to do now…but to <em>destroy</em> you! Goodbye, S—"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Waiiiiit!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Oh for the <em>love</em> of…" Again, the mad scientist pulled his hand away from the control system. "What <em>now</em>, Sonic?!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Just a sec, Doc." Sonic gestured up to the Tornado. "Yo, Tails!" he said. "Gimme some background music!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Both Tails and Dr. Eggman clapped a hand to their foreheads in exasperation. "SONIC, ARE YOU <em>SERIOUS</em>?" they hollered together.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Sonic remained calm. "Actually, I am. C'mon, buddy. <em>Please</em> tell me the Tornado has a music player."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Sonic," Tails said as he began to feel annoyed, "this really isn't the time to be asking for—"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>The hedgehog was quick to cut him off. "Ohhh, <em>no</em>, don't <em>you</em> start giving me that lecture about what I can and can't do! Just boot up the Tornado's music player and find something good!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Wait, but I—"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>At this point, Dr. Eggman and his Egg Pawns had stopped what they were doing to stare at Sonic and Tails. Even some of the townspeople of Chun-nan started peeking out of their homes to see what all the fuss was about.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"And personally, I think playing some song in the background while I defeat all these Egg Pawns would really add to the atmosphere—like, make everything more epic and stuff, y'know?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Well, sure, but—"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"And when the song gets to its climax, that's my cue to turn into Super Sonic and defeat Eggman's entire army before you could even blink an eye! If only I'd brought along all seven Chaos Emeralds—"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"BUT <em>SONIC</em>," shrieked Tails, "the Tornado doesn't <em>have</em> a music player!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Sonic stopped mid-sentence when his partner said this. He blinked several times. "The Tornado…doesn't have a music player?" he repeated hesitantly.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Tails was enraged. "<em>No</em>, it does <em>not</em>!" he shouted. "And that's what I'd been trying to tell you for the past full <em>minute</em>!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Now it was Sonic's turn to get angry. "Oh, man, you gotta be <em>kidding</em> me!" he moaned loudly. "We've been flying around in a plane that can be fitted with all sorts of weapons and gadgets and fly faster than the speed of <em>sound</em>, and it yet it can't even play <em>music</em>?!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Dr. Eggman had finally had enough. "All right, that's <em>it</em>!" he barked impatiently. "I'm tired of all of this nonsense!" He turned to the Egg Pawns. "FIRE! <em>FIRE!"</em></p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>The Egg Pawns simultaneously lifted their Egg Guns and Egg Bazookas and fired away. Countless laser blasts and rockets zoomed toward Sonic. The Chun-nan residents screamed in terror and ducked back into the buildings and their houses for cover. Sonic, in the meantime, just rolled his eyes dejectedly as he watched the multitude of lasers and missiles rapidly approach him. "So…I guess that's how it's gonna go, huh? Well, that's fine with me." He took a moment to yawn and stretch, and then he jumped high into the air. All the lasers either hit the ground or hit nothing at all. When Sonic was at a distance where he could see all the Egg Pawns' rockets, he curled up into a ball and used Spin Dash, shooting right through some of the missiles. He took care of the rest by slamming into each one with his Homing Attack.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Dr. Eggman watched Sonic destroy the Egg Pawns' rockets with a calculating expression. "Not enough, eh?" he said as the hedgehog landed on another rooftop. "How about <em>this</em>?!" He slammed his hand onto a large, red button on the Egg Mobile's control system, launching six homing missiles out of the Egg Mobile and at Sonic.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Aw, not those homing missiles again," the hedgehog complained to himself when he saw the six larger missiles flying toward him. "Time to go!" He sped across the roof, somersaulted off, and continued to zigzag between the buildings. The missiles followed him closely, thankfully not hitting any of the buildings, but still coming far too close for comfort."Hey!" he shouted, hoping that Dr. Eggman could hear him over the whizzing sound of the missiles. "Maybe lay off on the fireworks in residential areas next time, huh? I'm pretty sure these folks don't have insurance against pyromaniacs!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Dr. Eggman just laughed with deranged glee.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Well, that's just telling me to hurry up and get this over with!" Adrenaline coursed through Sonic's body as he picked up his speed. He jumped up, prompting the homing missiles to fly upward and circle him. Right before they could strike him, he used his supersonic speed to dash away, causing the missiles to collide into one another and explode all at once.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Dr. Eggman gnashed his teeth in frustration as an unharmed Sonic landed on the ground. "Grrrr! I <em>hate</em> how acrobatic that hedgehog is!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Sonic suddenly appeared on his Egg Mobile's windshield. The mad scientist shrieked with surprise and nearly lost control of the hovercraft. "Too bad, Egghead!" taunted the hedgehog as he flicked Dr. Eggman's nose, much to the latter's chagrin. "Just bear with my gymnastics for a moment, 'kay? It'll only be a few seconds!" Before Dr. Eggman could reply, the hedgehog zipped away and ran into the crowd of Egg Pawns. The badniks began to fire their weapons in all directions in a futile attempt to stop the speedy hedgehog, causing Dr. Eggman to panic. "No, no, <em>no</em>!" he yelped, narrowly dodging several laser beams and missiles. "You fools! He's over there! No, there! THERE!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Then Sonic materialized on Dr. Eggman's head. "No, I'm <em>here</em>!" he said mockingly. The Egg Pawns on the ground below immediately trained their weapons on him…and completely disregarded the fact that their master was also in their line of sight.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"GYAHHHH!" screamed Dr. Eggman as his own minions fired in his direction. He frantically flew around in his Egg Mobile, trying to avoid all the lasers and missiles. Sonic just laughed and dived into the middle of the Egg Pawn army, proceeding to Spin Dash at top speed through as many badniks as he could.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Dr. Eggman shook his fist at Sonic. "This isn't over yet, Sonic!" he yelled, seething. "I'll be back before you even know it!" He beat a hasty retreat, leaving his Egg Pawn army behind to be decimated by Sonic. The townspeople reemerged from the buildings when they saw the scientist fleeing from the town.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Sonic, he's getting away!" yelled Tails desperately.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Sonic stopped in his tracks and called back, "Just let him go, Tails! I think he's been thoroughly humiliated for today. He'll come back for us with some more Badniks and fireworks once he's recovered. Hold on, I'm a bit busy here!" He then punched the Egg Pawn in front of him, which keeled over in defeat and exploded. As more Egg Pawns closed in on him, he smirked. "There's just no end to you guys, eh?" he said to them. "I gotta get rid of you guys as fast as I can!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"I'll give you a hand!" said Tails as he prepared to fire the Tornado's machine gun at the crowd of badniks.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>However, there was no need to do so. At that moment, an enormous bird with rainbow-colored plumage appeared out of nowhere. A gasp arose from the townspeople when they saw the magnificent creature.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"I can't believe what I'm seeing!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"The guardian of Chun-nan is here!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"It's the <em>Gaia Phoenix</em>!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>The Gaia Phoenix<a href="#gaiaphoenix" id="gaiaphoenixback" name="gaiaphoenixback"><sup>3</sup></a> flapped its massive wings and let out a piercing cry. Sonic gulped when the bird's body became enveloped in golden flames. "Nice knowing you guys!" he said to the remaining Egg Pawns, and he sped away.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>The Gaia Phoenix screeched again and dive-bombed the remaining Egg Pawns. The powerful attack was far too much for the badniks to withstand, and they were instantly incinerated in the intense blaze that the bird had created. The townspeople cheered with joy and relief when they saw that none of Dr. Eggman's minions remained. They waved goodbye to the Gaia Phoenix, which, having fulfilled its duty as the guardian of Chun-nan, went to return to its temple while crying triumphantly.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Wow, I'm <em>so</em> glad that the Gaia Phoenix is on our side," one Chun-nan resident said to her neighbor. "It ended our troubles so quickly!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Sonic <em>did</em> do most of the work, but yes, you're definitely right," the neighbor said, nodding in agreement.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Tails flew the Tornado closer to the rooftops, allowing Sonic to hop onto one of the plane's wings. The Tornado soared over the town, prompting the townspeople to cheer for Sonic and Tails. "Thank you very much for saving us once again!" called one of the residents. "How can we repay you?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Sonic jumped off the plane and landed before the resident. "Wellllll," he said with a hopeful smile, "I don't think this is asking for much, but I heard that this town is very famous for a certain dish…"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Ten minutes and many farewells later, Sonic and Tails were flying through the clear blue sky in the Tornado. The townspeople had given them a generous amount of Chun-nan's world-famous meat buns to thank them for driving Dr. Eggman and his Badniks out of their town. Sonic was standing on the Tornado's left wing, hugging the large takeout box that was full of delicious meat buns and using a pair of chopsticks to eat them one by one. He tried his best to remember to save some for Tails and his fellow Smashers.
</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"But seriously, Tails," he said while gripping a meat bun with his chopsticks, "why not just add a music player to the Tornado? You <em>did</em> say you built a TV out of paper clips before, so it's gotta be a piece of cake."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Yeah, but the Tornado's dashboard literally has no space left for me to install a music player," replied Tails wearily. He sounded like he wanted his friend to stop bringing up the topic of adding a music player to the plane. "If it makes you happy, I can just bring a portable music player the next time we're out saving the world and are in <em>desperate</em> need of epic background music."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"But it's all over if it breaks," Sonic pointed out. "Might be better to just, you know…build a music player directly into the Tornado."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Tails made a face but had no response. Sonic just sighed dejectedly as he ate his meat bun.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"You're just full of surprises today, aren't you?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>The Aura Pokémon made no response as he took a step closer to Snake, who instinctively balled up his hands into fists and raised them before himself. A quick glance over his shoulder showed that he was standing on the left edge of the Spear Pillar. The air around him warmed up little by little as Lucario slowly approached him.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"I'm impressed," he said as he carefully watched for any sudden moves from his opponent. "I never would've known that you could have <em>this</em> much energy left in you when you have close to 90% damage. I gotta say, you took on that C4 pretty well. But I digress." He beckoned the Pokémon with a finger. "Let's see what you've got."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Lucario crouched—and vanished. Before Snake could have any time to register what had happened, he was launched to the other side of the stage by a winding kick to his abdomen.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>
  <em>So fast—!</em>
</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>He slammed onto the ground a moment later and lay there for a few seconds, thoroughly dazed by the powerful attack. He mentally thanked Master Hand for creating a virtual space for Brawls—that blow could have easily crushed multiple bones and organs. Trembling with pain, he managed to get back on his feet and saw that Lucario was still standing on the opposite end of the Spear Pillar.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"<em>Man</em>, Lucario!" hissed Snake, wheezing a little and pausing to cough a few times. "I know you want to win, but <em>god</em>, that was just <em>brutal</em>!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Lucario said nothing as he sent an enormous Aura Sphere at the mercenary.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Shit," Snake spat out as he forced himself to jump onto one of the floating platforms to avoid the move. Even though he was safely out of range, he could still feel the intense heat that the ball of energy emitted as it flew under him. Frustrated and bewildered, he thought, <em>What's gotten into him? Is he </em>that <em>intent on winning?</em></p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>And then, out of the blue, his adversary appeared right in front of him. Snake blinked and stared back into the Aura Pokémon's wide eyes, which he thought were glowing much brighter than normal. Then a feral snarl ripped through Lucario's throat. Baring his canines like a rabid dog, Lucario wrapped his arms around the stupefied mercenary and hurled him right off the stage. Snake immediately saw that he had no chance of recovering, so he simply allowed gravity to do its work.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"…Damn…" he grumbled through gritted teeth. "That was over pretty fast." Despite the extreme agony that wracked his body, he felt somewhat amused. "…I guess you win."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>He fell past the blast line below the stage. Dialga roared as though to signal the end of the battle. Master Hand announced, <em>"GAME</em><em>!"</em></p><p>
  <em></em>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Fox wiped the sweat off his brow with a grease-covered hand. "Whew!" he said as he stood up from the metallic floor of the Battleship Halberd's bridge. "I think I made <em>some</em> progress… How's it going for you, Falco?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>The avian Smasher was tugging at something to Fox's left. "Everything's a hot mess. Aha, found some loose parts here. Gimme a wrench."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Fox placed his wrench on the floor and kicked it toward Falco, who stopped it from sliding past him with a stomp of his foot. While he tightened the nuts and bolts within a lever, Fox wandered around the bridge, running his hand over the ruined control panels and navigation equipment. This was the ship that had shot down an Arwing and severely damaged the Great Fox, the latter of which was a competent battleship with arguably more high-tech weaponry and defense systems. Fox tried not to think about all the money he had to shell out for repairs, much of which he still owed. He cringed when he remembered that he still had to repay the mortgage that his father had taken out to purchase the Great Fox in the first place. And to think that the Halberd had later been so quickly and utterly destroyed…</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>In a way, it was almost funny.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>There was a sharp <em>clang</em> of a wrench striking a metal surface, and Falco whooped. "All right! Finally got this stupid lever fixed. I think I deserve a break." Fox heard his friend toss the wrench aside. A few seconds later, Meta Knight, who was carrying a small stack of towels, swooped into the bridge and gently landed on the ground. He took a moment to observe the dirt and grime that covered everybody's hands.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"…It looks like we all did a rather fine job," he decided. He gave a towel to Fox and Falco, leaving himself with his own. "If we keep up the good work, the Halberd may be in working order in the next six months."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"You sure are ambitious!" Falco said, laughing as he wiped the oily gunk off his feathers with his towel. "But I hope you're right. I was just starting to enjoy flying on this ginormous ship of yours."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Because it has better weapons than the Great Fox?" Fox asked teasingly.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>At this, Falco's face turned so red that the vulpine could see the blush through his blue feathers. "Uhhh," he said indignantly, "well…look here! I was under the impression that your dad's super high-tech spaceship would've been able to hold off the Halberd for at <em>least</em> ten minutes!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"It probably <em>could</em> have done that…if it had fully functioning shields."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"But they <em>were</em> functioning!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"They weren't <em>fully</em> functioning, though, were they?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"That's enough," interrupted Meta Knight. "I believe we should return to the Brawl Room. I heard a commotion up there when I went to grab those towels. Speaking of which, may I have them back?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Fox and Falco handed their blackened towels to the small knight, who tucked them away in some place within his strange cape. The three Smashers left the Halberd and climbed down the scaffolding around the battleship to return to the floor of the hangar. Then they went to one of the elevators at the back of the room and entered one, traveling to the ground floor. They walked quickly through the foyer, entered a hallway, and ended up back in the Brawl Room…where several Smashers were in an uproar and surrounding someone lying motionless on the floor.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Whoa!" said Falco with surprise. "Is that Snake?" He went to the nearest person, which was Red. "Hey! What's going on here?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Lucario and Snake were going all out in their Brawl when a strange aura suddenly appeared around Lucario's body," explained the Pokémon Trainer. "Normally, his aura just looks like blue flames around his hands…"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"You're Smashville's walking Pokémon encyclopedia. Any ideas?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Nope, not a clue."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Fox let out a low whistle. "<em>Whew.</em> Makes me kinda regret that I chose today to help Meta Knight with the Halberd."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Meta Knight gave him a sideways look of disapproval. Fox pretended not to see it.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Anyway, when that aura came along, Lucario's strength seemed to go off the charts. He was <em>super</em> fast and strong! One kick sent Snake all the way to the opposite end of the Spear Pillar stage! Snake looked like he could barely stand up after that, and we all know that it takes a <em>lot</em> to knock the wind out of him. But for Lucario, all it took was a single <em>kick</em>!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Falco looked concerned. "Is he okay? And what about Lucario?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Lucario's okay, but he looked really worn out after he and Snake teleported back here, so Mario put on his Dr. Mario outfit and forced him to go to the medical room. As for Snake…he pretty much blacked out the moment he returned to the Brawl Room. I hope he's fine…"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Meanwhile, Samus was trying to wake up the unconscious mercenary. "Come on!" she shouted as she roughly shook him. "I know you're tougher than that! Wake up!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Pit silently watched her continue to prod at Snake, appearing to be deep in thought. Then his face lit up. "Wait, I got an idea," he exclaimed. "We should use trigger words!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Samus paused to look at him in confusion. "What in the world are those?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"They're certain words that'd get a reaction out of a certain person when spoken to them," explained the angel. "I was wondering if this one phrase would get Snake to wake up."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Samus understood what he was getting at, but she still wasn't entirely sure. "…You really want to try that?" she asked.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p><em>"I believe it is well worth a try,"</em> Master Hand spoke up, startling her. <em>"I see nothing wrong with it."</em></p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"I mean…we're all good as long as the reaction we get isn't a bad one," said Pit as he nervously scratched the back of his head.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>The bounty hunter took a moment to think about it. Then she sighed and stepped aside. "All right, then. Give it your best shot."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Pit grinned and approached Snake's prone form. He bent down until his face was only a foot above the mercenary's. Then, in a sudden change of demeanor, he said sternly, "All right, Snake, I know you can hear me."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Snake did not respond. Pit's voice gained a panicked tone. "Snake, do you copy?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"…Hey," said Samus with a bored expression, "I don't think this is working."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>The angel simply ignored her and cried more desperately, <em>"Snake!"</em></p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Okay, this is nuts," Samus decided. "Let's just get him to the medical r—"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Then Pit screamed at the top of his lungs, <em>"SNAAAAAAAKE!"</em></p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>The mercenary snapped awake and smashed his fist into the angel's face with so much force that the latter flew backward and landed six feet away. Simultaneously, Samus jumped in surprise and only barely managed to suppress a shriek. "Ugh, I feel like that phrase just made me age ten years," Snake grumbled, now fully awake. He glared at Pit and demanded, "What was that all about?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>The angel just laughed and massaged the large, rapidly purpling bruise on his face. At that moment, Popo and Nana entered the Brawl Room, followed by many more Smashers.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"We came back as quickly as we could!" said Nana tirelessly as she and her brother ran toward Red. "What did we miss?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>The Trainer explained to the Ice Climbers what had transpired during Lucario and Snake's Brawl while they were absent, and how the Brawl had ended unexpectedly fast due to Lucario's huge increase in strength and speed. Then Samus told them about how Pit was able to revive Snake with the help of a particular phrase.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"…and here we are," she finished.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Popo nodded in understanding. "I get it," he said. "So Snake's okay?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Snake got up from the floor with Red's help. "Yeah…for the most part. I feel like I just got hit by a train." He winced and put a hand over his stomach. "Oooh. <em>Ouch.</em> That kick is still smarting."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Master Hand approached him. <em>"Ah, Snake! I am very relieved to see that you are in…"</em> He struggled to find an appropriate word.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Decent?" supplied Pit.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I suppose that works. Snake, I am very relieved to see that you are in decent condition. Your Brawl with Lucario—"</em>
</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"He won that thing fair and square," interrupted Snake. "Didn't even give me a chance to use my Final Smash! It was a good fight. Yeah, I know, it could've ended very badly." He smiled wryly. "But as you can see, Master Hand…while I'm a little beaten up, I'm still very alive, so I suggest you stop being such a worrywart and let me walk to the medical room by <em>myself</em>, thank you very much."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Master Hand quietly chuckled at Snake's choice of words and unbelievably nonchalant attitude.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Still," the mercenary went on, "I'd like to know what that strange aura was. Where's Lucario?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He is currently with Mario in the medical room. Please do be quiet around him. He looked very exhausted after you two returned to the Brawl Room."</em>
</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Snake nodded and limped toward the Brawl Room's door…and was almost run over by Sonic the Hedgehog. The hedgehog looked around.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"…Heyyyy, check it out!" he said excitedly. "I'm in time for the second Brawl! So how'd it go?" he asked Snake.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>The mercenary made a face. "It's…a long story," he said simply. "And the mission?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Well…" Sonic's face turned slightly pink as he smiled sheepishly. "…Tails and I argued a bit about speakers and CD players…and Eggman was being contradictory…but overall, it went really well. Look, I even got this gigantic box of tasty meat buns as a thank-you gift!" Sonic waved the box in the mercenary's face. "Want one?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Thanks, but I'll pass. My stomach hurts."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Haha, no problem. More for me!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Snake folded his arms, looking slightly cross. "…You're hoping that everyone will turn down your offers like I did so that you could have all the meat buns to yourself, right?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Sonic pretended not to hear him as he popped a meat bun into his mouth. Snake sighed and left the room, grunting in pain.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>A few minutes later, all the Smashers returned to the Brawl Room for the second Brawl of the day. Master Hand did a quick headcount and saw that everybody apart from Mario, Lucario, and Snake was present. <em>"The first Brawl of the day has concluded,"</em> he said. <em>"Now, let us see who will fight in the second Brawl!"</em></p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>The Spear Pillar stage on the television screen disappeared and was replaced by the three lists from before. Each list began to scroll and came to a stop a few seconds later.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Fox and Wolf shall have a Brawl on the Lylat Cruise stage!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Fox turned to see Wolf grinning at him. "Well, whaddya know," he said excitedly. "Yet <em>another</em> fight between the two of us."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"It's just a Brawl," replied the vulpine with an annoyed huff. "You'll have to wait a bit more for that…uh… What was it that you wanted?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"A fight to the death in your Arwing and my Wolfen. Don't you forget that, Star Fox!"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"…R-right. I still think that's unnecessarily dramatic…but anyway, gotta postpone that thing for another day, so too bad for you. And my name isn't Star Fox."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>His rival just blew a noisy raspberry at him.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p><em>"The rules are the same as the first Brawl's,"</em> said Master Hand. <em>"Does either of you have any questions?"</em></p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Wolf raised his hand. "Instead of a Brawl, can we have a fight to the death in Fox's Arwing and my Wolfen?"</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Master Hand promptly snapped his fingers and teleported the two Smashers onto the Lylat Cruise stage without saying another word.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p><a id="hyperbeam" name="hyperbeam"></a>1. I'm guessing that the blue or pink beams of energy that occasionally appear on the Spear Pillar stage to fry any unlucky Smashers are supposed to be Hyper Beams. But Hyper Beam doesn't work that way, so I changed things up a bit. <a href="#hyperbeamback">Back</a></p><p><a id="rpg7" name="rpg7"></a>2. Snake uses an RPG-7 for his side smash attack. <a href="#rpg7back">Back</a></p><p><a id="gaiaphoenix" name="gaiaphoenix"></a>3. The Gaia Phoenix is a boss in <em>Sonic Unleashed</em>. It was originally the protector of the town of Chun-nan…until some crazy evil stuff happened. <a href="#gaiaphoenixback">Back</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. His Name Isn't Star Fox</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Fox and Wolf have a Brawl. Pikachu and Jigglypuff meet a new shop owner in Smashville Plaza. Kirby's strawberry shortcake mysteriously disappears and he'll stop at nothing to get it back.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lylat Cruise was one of those stages whose name described the environment of the stage rather than the location that it was based on. The actual platform that the Smashers had Brawls on on was the surface of a starship called the Pleiades. The Pleiades in the Lylat Cruise stage was much smaller than the actual thing<a href="#pleiades" id="pleiadesback" name="pleiadesback"><sup>1</sup></a>, allowing Smashers to fight on a platform of an appropriate size. As they fought, the Pleiades would fly through a star system called the Lylat System, hence the name of the stage, and several events would take place in the background. Unlike Dialga on the Spear Pillar stage, none of the Lylat Cruise events could harm the Smashers.</p><p>An Arwing flew overhead and dropped off Fox McCloud, its pilot and only passenger, on the stage's left side. A few seconds later, a Wolfen rushed by, ejecting Wolf O'Donnell.</p><p>"Ready to get the tar beaten outta ya, Star Fox?" the lupine Smasher taunted from the right side of the stage.</p><p>Fox just rolled his eyes.</p><p>Master Hand began the countdown. <em>"Three! Two! One! GO!"</em></p><p>Fox was very fast. In fact, his speed was outranked only by that of Sonic the Hedgehog and Captain Falcon, the fastest and second-fastest Smashers, respectively. He preferred to alternate between quickly dealing small amounts of damage to opponents and dodging instead of instantly going all out. Everything about him seemed to be about speed; even his Blaster had been specially designed to fire multiple shots in rapid succession.</p><p>Wolf, on the other hand, had a grounded fighting style, and what he lacked in speed and agility was made up for by brute force. He was a ruthless fighter who tried to deliver as much damage as he could with each blow he landed on his opponents. He, too, had customized his Blaster by attaching a large, claw-like bayonet beneath its barrel. Whenever he drew the Blaster, the claw would pop out of its sheath and deal some extra damage to whoever was unfortunate enough to be standing too close to him in a battle.</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwIvHS4Tpxs">A militaristic symphony</a> with harp sweeps and an intricate snare drum part began to play the moment Master Hand finished the countdown. At the same time, Wolf whipped out his Blaster and pulled the trigger twice. Because his Blaster had been designed for power rather than speed, Fox easily dodged the slow, green-colored energy shots. Wolf snarled and quickly followed up his first attack with Fire Wolf.</p><p>"Going straight for the offense, huh?" remarked Fox as he leaped over his adversary. On the way down, he drill-kicked Wolf while the latter was still in the middle of using Fire Wolf, causing him to slam face-first onto the surface of the Pleiades. "Seems like you haven't changed much!"</p><p>Wolf rapidly got back onto his feet and swiped at Fox with his claws, only for his opponent to nimbly jump out of the way and onto the leftmost of the three platforms above the stage's main surface. Wolf, not wanting to be outmaneuvered, closely followed him with his Blaster drawn. Fox hopped over to the rightmost platform and fired his Blaster at Wolf five times, increasing the latter's damage meter to 12%. Although all five shots struck Wolf, they were so weak that he didn't even flinch. He charged at Fox with a second Fire Wolf that connected with its target. Fox was launched into the air and his damage meter jumped from 0% to 11%, and he appeared to be incapacitated, so Wolf tried his luck with Wolf Flash. However, Fox saw it coming and twisted around in midair to avoid the move, and he landed safely on the stage's main surface.</p><p>"Fleet-footed as always, McCloud," growled Wolf with grudging respect as he, too, returned to the main stage. "Been to the gym recently?"</p><p>Fox glanced over his shoulder. "Gotta keep up with my training if I wanna kick your butt!"</p><p>"Ha, is that right? I'll make you eat those words, Star Fox!"</p><p>"Don't call me that!"</p><p>"I'll call you whatever I want, you little whelp!"</p><p>Fox growled and fired three shots at Wolf with his Blaster; like before, Wolf took all the shots and continued to push forward. He scored a hit on Fox with his claws, dealing slight damage to his opponent. Fox ducked below a second slash and punched Wolf twice in the chest. Before the lupine could retaliate, the other Smasher had already turned tail and dashed away.</p><p>"What, scared?" Wolf quickly caught up with Fox by using Wolf Flash, which the vulpine dodged with Fox Illusion. When Wolf stepped onto the platform that Fox had previously been standing on, Fox quickly turned around and used Fox Illusion again. The ghostly afterimages that followed his path ran through Wolf, whose damage meter increased to 22%. Wolf grabbed Fox, preventing him from running off, and rapidly kneed him several times before tossing him behind himself.</p><p><em>I have to be more careful next time,</em> thought Fox as he got back to his feet and saw that his damage meter now read 23%.</p>
<hr/><p>Samus, Pit, and the Ice Climbers were the only residents of the Smash Mansion besides Master Hand who watched every single Brawl while everybody else left to do their own things. Samus would analyze the battle, Pit would make observations and witticisms, and the Ice Climbers would closely watch for any unexpected events to report to the absent Smashers. Occasionally, some other Smashers would join the four Smashers to watch the Brawl; in this case, Falco was there for obvious reasons.</p><p>"Wow, they're really evenly matched," remarked Samus with some surprise. "Both of their damage meters are steadily rising together."</p><p>"Is it just me…or are they being unusually friendly to each other?" asked Pit.</p><p>Falco shook his head. "Nah, it's not just you. Funny how they were at each other's throats before the whole Subspace thing. You should've seen their dogfights! I kinda wish someone had videotaped them so you could see how intense some of them got."</p><p>"Oh, look, Fox got a Poké Ball!" exclaimed Nana.</p><p>"Let's see which Pokémon comes out," Popo added.</p>
<hr/><p>Fox's Poké Ball flashed for a second before releasing…a Goldeen.</p><p>"Oh, come <em>on</em>!" the vulpine complained furiously as the digital simulation of the Goldfish Pokémon harmlessly flip-flopped across the stage. "Of all the Pokémon I could've gotten, it's <em>you</em>?"</p><p>The Goldeen just made some gurgling sounds.</p><p>Wolf rushed forward and reached out to grab Fox. Unfortunately for him, his adversary saw him coming, and he quickly activated his Reflector to stun him. While Wolf was paralyzed, Fox attacked him with a powerful spinning kick. The lupine staggered back, grunting in pain and annoyance, and jumped onto the center platform to avoid a punch. Fox followed him and was caught by surprise when Wolf lashed him multiple times with his razor-sharp claws, knocking him back onto the main stage.</p><p>"Careful," Wolf sneered from above. "Don't wanna lose your step!"

Fox, who was sitting on the stage, glanced at his damage meter. It was at 38%—not great, but it could've been worse. He glowered at Wolf. "Same to you, Wolf!" he retorted.

A Poké Ball appeared at Wolf's feet. He picked it up and hurled it at Fox, crowing in triumph when the lupine failed to dodge it and received some more damage. "Should probably also watch your head, Star Fox!"

</p><p>
  <em>"Don't call me that!"</em>
</p><p>"Maybe you shouldn't be worrying about what I call you when a <em>Snorlax</em> just popped outta that ball, kiddo."</p><p>Fox suddenly became aware of the simulation of the massive Pokémon that had just appeared on the stage. He scrambled to his feet and barely managed to dive out of harm's way as the Snorlax roared its name, took a flying leap into the air, and crashed back down a moment later with Body Slam. Wolf barked out a short laugh when Fox shrieked in fright and jumped off the stage, clinging onto the right ledge by his fingertips to avoid the Sleeping Pokémon's enormous bulk, which took up most of the relatively little space that the Lylat Cruise stage provided. After the Snorlax had passed by and vanished somewhere below the Pleiades, Fox quickly crawled back onto the stage and gave an audible sigh of relief.</p><p>"That…was close," he gasped, looking shocked.</p><p>Wolf just folded his arms and snorted derisively at him. "Ha!" he said. "I'm just getting started!"</p><p>An Assist Trophy appeared on the right platform, and Wolf immediately made a beeline for it. Fox dived at his adversary and knocked him down, shouting, "Not gonna let that happen!" Wolf's hand smacked against the Assist Trophy's side and sent it sailing through the air and off the stage.</p><p>"Ah, dammit," snarled Wolf, pushing Fox away. "What'd you do that for? I could've gotten something good outta that Assist Trophy!"</p><p>"Exactly," Fox snapped back.</p>
<hr/><p>Pikachu let out a huge yawn as he made his way back to the Pokémon Smashers' room. He had run all the way from his room on the fifth floor to the Brawl Room on the first floor, only to find that he wasn't picked for the second Brawl. He hadn't slept very well last night, and the grogginess that resulted had only been worsened by Crazy Hand's unique method of waking up everyone in the Smash Mansion.</p><p><em>It's very effective,</em> though the Mouse Pokémon, <em>but so darn rude. At this rate, Jigglypuff and I will never be able to build a card pyramid…</em></p><p>He got to his room and pushed the door open. Only Red and Jigglypuff were inside; the Pokemon Trainer was sitting on front of the TV and concentrating on some Famidrive<a href="#famidrive" id="famidriveback" name="famidriveback"><sup>2</sup></a> game, while the Balloon Pokémon was sitting on a rug in the middle of the room, clutching a box of playing cards.</p><p>"Whatcha playing, Red?" Pikachu asked as he shut the door behind him.</p><p>"…Ahh…some retro game I bought the other day called <em>Punch Ouch</em><a href="#punchouch" id="punchouchback" name="punchouchback"><sup>3</sup></a>…" said the Trainer slowly as he mashed his thumbs on several buttons. "Mmm, this guy is tough…"</p><p>Pikachu twitched an ear. "<em>Punch Ouch</em>? That's a funny title. What's it like?"</p><p>"It's a boxing game. You have to mash the buttons in a certain order and within a certain amount of time to fight your opponent." Red briefly looked away from the TV screen and asked, "Are you two going to try building a card pyramid again?"</p><p>Pikachu sat on the floor across from Jigglypuff. "That's what I came here for," he replied. "You ready for this?"</p><p>"Oh, you bet I am!" agreed Jigglypuff with excitement, dumping the playing cards out of their box. "We have to prove to Lucario and Snake that we can make a card pyramid just as good as theirs—maybe even better! Our thing got messed up last night only because Snake decided to barge into the room without knocking." She had a fierce expression on her face. "You and I <em>do</em> have the ability to make an amazing card pyramid!"</p><p>"You're really feisty today, Jigglypuff," said Red with a short laugh. "Are you <em>that</em> salty because of what happened last night?"</p><p>"There's nothing wrong with that, is there?!" the Balloon Pokémon demanded. "I mean, Pikachu and I have tried to make a pyramid <em>only</em> about eleven times so far, whereas Lucario and Snake got it done on their <em>first</em> try, <em>and</em> in less than two minutes. Of <em>course</em> I'm salty!"</p><p>"Something tells me that wasn't their first try."</p><p>"Regardless, Pikachu and I <em>have</em> to beat them!"</p><p>"Th-this isn't a competition…"</p><p>"Well, <em>they</em> sure are making it feel like one," said Jigglypuff, seething. "We have to show them what we've got!"</p><p>
  <em>"Oooooh! Show me what you've got!"</em>
</p><p>Red's face turned pale when he heard the horrifyingly familiar voice.. "Barricade the door," he said hoarsely.</p><p>But before anyone could do anything, something slammed into the door with so much force that the walls shook and the door detached from its hinges. It went flying across the room, nearly taking Jigglypuff with it. Pikachu groaned in despair when he saw that the large, white hand floating in the doorway was a left hand. "Ugh, of all the times <em>he</em> could come…"</p><p>Crazy Hand giggled strangely. <em>"Can I come in?"</em> he asked. His high, grating voice hurt the Smashers' ears and heads. Without waiting for a response, he continued, <em>"Awww, that's so kind of you!"</em> and invited himself into the Pokémon Smashers' room. <em>"Whatcha guys up to? Oooh! Are those playing cards?"</em></p><p>Crazy Hand behaved exactly like what his name suggested: he was <em>ridiculously</em> crazy. The Smashers had thought he was all right when they first met him in Subspace—just a little unusually hyperactive, perhaps, but nothing more than that. This belief was shattered the moment everyone moved into the Smash Mansion and Crazy Hand was allowed to express his true self. He might have been Master Hand's twin brother, but the two hands were certainly polar opposites in terms of sanity…</p><p>
  <em>"I love playing cards! Can I eat them?!"</em>
</p><p>…and, of course, intelligence.</p><p>Red huffed through his nose loudly and paused his game. He turned to Crazy Hand with his arms crossed. "<em>No</em>, Crazy," he said firmly, "you can<em>not</em> eat playing cards."</p><p><em>"Awww,"</em> said the left hand, sounding crestfallen. <em>"But I love the flavor of playing cards…"</em></p><p>The Trainer raised a brow. "…So…you've eaten playing cards before?"</p><p>Jigglypuff looked Crazy Hand up and down as she asked incredulously, "How are you even able to eat?!"</p><p>Crazy Hand ignored both questions and prodded at the playing cards that lay in a messy pile on the floor with his massive index finger. <em>"Weeelllllll,"</em> he wondered out loud, <em>"if I can't eat them, what else can I do with them? It's like what everyone says: don't let your food go to waste…"</em></p><p>Pikachu put his face in his paws. He did that a lot when he was irritated.</p><p><em>"But wait!"</em> the hand said suddenly. <em>"Magicians use playing cards for magic tricks, don't they?"</em></p><p>"Crazy, what are you—" Red began.</p><p>The hand flexed and twitched his fingers feverishly. <em>"Oooh! Heya! I just remembered something."</em> He flashed a thumbs-up at the Smashers.<em> "</em>I<em> can do magic! Watch me do this cool trick!"</em></p><p>Jigglypuff wasn't planning to wait to see what Crazy Hand was about to do. "Uh-oh!" she screamed. <em>"Run for your lives!"</em></p><p>The three Smashers scrambled to their feet and made a mad dash for the exit. Red was able to escape the room within two seconds, and he sprinted away as fast as he could. Pikachu and Jigglypuff, however, were not so lucky. By the time they were only halfway across the room, Crazy Hand was already pointing at the pile of playing cards that lay on the floor, the tip of his finger glowing brightly.</p><p>
  <em>"YEEEEAAAAHHHHHH!"</em>
</p><p>There was a blinding flash of light, immediately followed by a tremendous explosion.</p>
<hr/><p>Kirby was sitting at the edge of the lawn in the Smash Mansion's courtyard with a plate that had a slice of strawberry shortcake on it. "Okay!" he said, satisfied. "Everyone's inside. That means I have this entire courtyard to myself during this nice, sunny Monday afternoon. How cool is that?" He picked up his plate and gazed at the strawberry shortcake lovingly. "And I can eat this beautiful cake while I'm surrounded by peace and quiet. Boy, am I lucky! But…hm."</p><p>Peach had recreated Kirby's favorite kind of strawberry shortcake down to the smallest details. It had the correct number of sliced strawberries embedded in the creamy center layer, as well as small swirls of icing on the surface. Two chocolate wafer sticks and one very ripe strawberry topped the whole thing off. None of the layers were sinking or mixing with each other. It was a sweet, fluffy, scrumptious, berry-topped slice of mouth-watering goodness.</p><p>It was, to describe it with one word, perfect.</p><p>Kirby slumped a little. "It's almost <em>too</em> pretty to eat," he said with a small sigh. "But if I don't eat it, Peach might think I don't like it…so…" He sat upright again and grinned. "Well, time to dig in!"</p><p>As he picked up his knife and fork, something within the Smash Mansion blew up with a deafening <em>BANG</em>, startling him and causing him to drop his utensils.</p><p><em>"Uwaaahhhh!"</em> he cried. "Wh-what was that noise?! It was so loud!"</p><p>He sat there for a bit, waiting for any signs of what had caused the explosion to appear. Nothing came up.</p><p>"Ugh…" The pink puffball groaned with irritation. "So much for peace and quiet." He picked up his knife and fork again. "Okay! As I was saying, time to di—whaaaa…?"</p><p>The cake—along with the plate—had mysteriously disappeared.</p>
<hr/><p>Wolf grabbed Fox by the collar of his jacket and dragged him toward the right edge of the stage, preparing to throw him out of bounds. Fox, who was aware of how dangerously close he was to the edge, took out his Reflector and activated it, putting up a barrier that shocked Wolf and made him release his opponent. While the lupine was stunned, Fox hopped behind him, said "See ya!" and kicked him off the stage.</p><p>"Whoa! I don't think so!" Wolf quickly recovered with Fire Wolf, grabbed onto the edge of the stage, and pulled himself onto the surface, tripping Fox with a wide sweep of his leg. "Eat this!" he shouted as he brought out his Blaster and fired at Fox at point-blank range; the claw-like bayonet that extended from the sheath on the bottom of the Blaster slashed at him, knocking him back a few feet, and the large-ish, green shot of energy that followed immediately afterward dealt some more damage.</p><p>A Poké Ball popped out of thin air and landed right in Fox's hand. With a grin, he threw it in Wolf's direction…only for the other Smasher to snatch it out of the air and throw it back at him. Caught unawares, Fox got hit in the head by the ball, which released a blue, orca whale-like Pokémon.</p><p>"Well…here we go," grumbled Fox as he braced himself for Kyogre's onslaught.</p><p>Wolf began to snicker. "How d'ya like that…" he sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "…<em>Star Fox</em>?"</p><p>The fur on the back of Fox's neck stood on end—but not from fear.</p><p>Kyogre began to use Hydro Pump—a devastating attack that could easily push any Smasher past the blast lines on either side of most Brawl stages. This was basically guaranteed to happen on smaller stages, such as Lylat Cruise. Fox wasn't thinking about how to avoid the move, however.</p><p>"…Wolf…"</p><p>He sped forward. The Kyogre simulation missed its target by about three feet. Fox bolted across the stage, slid over the floor beneath the Pokémon, and leaped out of harm's way. At the same instant, the lights dimmed, heralding the appearance of the Smash Ball…which was positioned right in front of Fox.</p><p>"H-hey, uh," said Wolf, sweating nervously, "what—"</p><p>
  <em>"My name…"</em>
</p><p>Fox charged straight at the Smash Ball.</p><p>
  <em>"…is not…"</em>
</p><p>He gave it a single, mighty punch.</p><p>
  <em>"…STAR FOX!"</em>
</p><p>It shattered.</p>
<hr/><p>The Brawl Room was dead silent in awe. Then Falco coughed.</p><p>"…Ahhh-ha," he drawled as he put his hands behind his head. "I sure didn't know he had that in him."</p>
<hr/><p>Down in Smashville Plaza, several townspeople were bustling about with their mornings. A gaggle of Villagers from Animal Crossing, led by a brown-haired Mii who was a resident of Smashville and worked here as a tour guide, was making their way through the Plaza, oohing and ahhing and taking pictures of everything they lay their eyes on, even if it was something of no particular importance. They paused between a bakery and a sushi shop, snapped some photos of a panda-like Pokémon that was standing there, half-listened to the Mii tour guide's explanation of what this Pokémon was, and continued on their way.</p><p>That Pokémon was Spinda, and it wasn't any ordinary one. The Spot Panda Pokémon, who was from the Mystery Dungeon World, was none other than the founder and owner of Spinda's Café in Treasure Town<a href="#treasuretown" id="treasuretownback" name="treasuretownback"><sup>4</sup></a>. He had moved to the Smash World recently, having heard many good things about it from his friends. He was also enticed by a rumor—that someone from his world, and perhaps his continent or even his town, was one of the Super Smash Brothers.</p><p>"Hm, hm!" he was now saying to himself as he examined the space between the bakery called Isle of Treats and the sushi shop called Fresh Fins. It was narrow, but underneath the two shops was exactly what he had envisioned. "This will work quite well. It's just like it is back home. That Master Hand<a href="#mastermayor" id="mastermayorback" name="mastermayorback"><sup>5</sup></a> sure knows his spaces!"</p><p>Early in the morning, Spinda had tirelessly dug a path through the ground that led to the underground space, where he was beginning the process of setting up his shop. He was now looking for a good place to put up a sign for the shop. Last week, he had stuck a poster on the wall of Isle of Treats—"Spinda's Café! A Shop of Hopes and Dreams—Opening Soon! Win Big!" it said—but he wanted something that looked more official.</p><p>"Maybe a banner?" he wondered aloud. "I could hang it up in the space between these two shops. Oh, but that would easily be blown away during a storm…" He paced around a little. "How about a wooden sign? I suppose I could just do it the way I did it in Treasure Town and stick a sign into the ground here and point it in the direction of the front door…" He put a paw to his chin and glanced down at the hole in the ground that was the entrance to the underground café. "But it would be interesting to try something new. I wonder if it would help my café receive a possibly explosive reception!"</p><p>Something directly under Spinda went <em>KABOOM!</em> Nearly losing his balance, he hugged the wall to avoid falling over. "What?!" he yelped half in surprise and half in anger. "I <em>certainly</em> didn't mean that literally! Oooh, I hope the café is all right!" He hurried through the hole, went down the path, and barged into his shop. The moderate amount of space, which Spinda had spent several exhausting hours cleaning until every surface, nook, and cranny shone, was filled with a thick cloud of dust.</p><p><em>"Ahhhh!"</em> he groaned despondently. "Looks like I just got up early for nothing—"</p><p>It was then that he heard someone coughing. The dust in the room slowly thinned, revealing two small figures. One of them was flapping its lightning bolt-shaped tail to clear out the dust.</p><p>Spinda was concerned. "Oh my," he said to himself. "This isn't quite the first impression I had in mind."</p><p>As the dust eventually settled down, he found himself facing two other Pokémon, a Pikachu and a Jigglypuff. The former was furiously dusting himself off, while the latter just looked green.</p><p>"…Where…are we…?" asked Jigglypuff, sounding dazed. She then noticed the Spinda staring at her. "Oh, hi. Sorry for barging in like this—wow, what a trip!" she then said as she took a seat on the dirt floor.</p><p>Spinda blinked. "Um…no worries. I'll ask everything later…if that's what you want."</p><p>"You're right," agreed Pikachu. "I don't wanna talk about it right now."</p><p>Spinda jumped in surprise when he heard him speak. "Oh!" he exclaimed, approaching the Mouse Pokémon. "But aren't you…?"</p><p>Pikachu felt very confused as the Spot Panda Pokémon circled him a few times and closely examined him. "Umm, sorry, but…what are you doing?"</p><p>Spinda didn't answer him and instead stopped pacing around. He put a hand to his chin, looking somewhat perplexed. "…No," he murmured, "you're not him…"</p><p>"I'm not who?"</p><p>"Oh, my apologies," said Spinda, finally aware that Pikachu was talking to him. "I mixed you up with someone from my hometown. Moving across worlds really wears you out, you know?"</p><p>"Moving across worlds, huh?" said Pikachu. "I know the feeling. Welcome to Smashville. Did you just arrive?"</p><p>"Yes, sort of. I arrived about a week ago but had been looking for a good place to set up my shop since then. I was fortunate enough to acquire this space, thanks to someone called Master Hand. Do you know him?"</p><p>"Do I <em>know</em> him?!" Pikachu chuckled as he said this. "Heck, I <em>live</em> with him!"</p><p>Spinda's eyes widened. "Wait!" he cried as he pointed in the Mouse Pokémon's direction. "Then does that mean that you are…?"</p><p>Pikachu nodded. "Yup! I'm Pikachu…" He then pointed at Jigglypuff, who was sitting on the ground next to him. "…and this is Jigglypuff."</p><p>Jigglypuff smiled and waved. "We're two of the Super Smash Brothers!"</p><p>"Oh, <em>wow</em>!" Spinda grasped Pikachu's paw and shook it vigorously. "What a delightful surprise!" He then bent down to shake Jigglypuff's hand. "It's an honor to meet you two! I was hoping to meet the Super Smash Brothers soon, but not <em>this</em> soon! I'm absolutely ecstatic! Ah, but where are my manners," he said suddenly as he stood back up. "I am Spinda, as you both could probably tell. I'm the founder of Spinda's Café—have you heard of it?"</p><p>"Hey, I have!" said Jigglypuff excitedly. "It's that shop in Treasure Town where you can order really delicious and healthy drinks, right?"</p><p>"Exactly!" confirmed Spinda, pleased that someone in an entirely different world knew of his humble café. "Well, a friend of mine recommended me to expand the shop across the continent, which I did…and then the world, which I did…and then they told me to try going beyond even that! I wanted to do just that, and I had heard of the existence of a fantastic place called the Smash World, but I had no idea how to get to it. Imagine my surprise when a portal opened up right beside me at the moment I committed to moving to this world!" He laughed jovially. "It's as if the Smash World were aware of other worlds and their inhabitants, isn't it?"</p><p>"Haha! Well, we've only been living here for about three months, so even we aren't really sure what's up with this place," said Pikachu with a grin. "Personally, I just think it's a great place to be."</p><p>"That is very reassuring," Spinda said, smiling back. "So here I am…about to establish the first-ever interdimensional Spinda's Café!" He produced a handful of confetti out of nowhere and threw it into the air…and awkwardly watched as the bits of colorful paper drifted sadly back down and onto the dirt floor. "Well…it's obviously not much at the moment," he said, sounding a little embarrassed, "but my goal is to have this place open for business by next week!" He looked around the dust-covered space, and his voice gained a worried tone as he then said, "Oh, dear. I woke up at the crack of dawn to begin setting up the shop. Obviously…it appears that all of my hard work has gone to waste."</p><p>"Oh, we can help you with that!" Jigglypuff piped up. "We have about twenty minutes or so until we have to get back to the Smash Mansion, so we might as well spend this time to get this place cleaned up!"</p><p>"That would be most helpful! Thank you very much. You know, there <em>is</em> something I meant to ask… How did you two get here in the first place?"</p><p>"I thought you didn't want to know!"</p><p>Spinda just shrugged. "Now I'm curious."</p><p>"…Okay. So basically…"</p><p>As the three Pokémon began to tidy the place up, Pikachu and Jigglypuff told Spinda about Crazy Hand and his antics. The Spot Panda Pokémon found it astonishing that the two Smashers were unhurt after the ordeal that sent them to the space that would soon become Spinda's Café, knowing that the Smash Mansion was a little ways away and that teleportation wasn't the most comfortable mode of transportation. As the Smashers described the kinds of people they lived with, Spinda was baffled that they were still in one piece.</p><p>"Forget the unwelcome teleportation!" he almost shouted. "You're telling me that you live in the same building as…<em>those</em> characters?!"</p><p>Jigglypuff just shrugged. "Eventually, you just learn what to do and not do."</p><p>"Yes, but still…! Three months with those maniacs? And so many humans with such strange abilities! In my world, humans are just imaginary creatures from fairy tales… And the one called Crazy Hand! What an experience your trip to my place must have been! Oooh, I hope Master Hand keeps a close eye on him! Metaphorically speaking, of course."</p><p>"The good thing is," said Jigglypuff, "Master Hand makes sure that Crazy Hand stays within the boundaries of the Smash Mansion at all times. I don't wanna know what would happen if he was allowed to go around freely."</p><p>"I know, right?" said Pikachu. "I wonder what he'd do if he found Rayquaza's lake…"</p><p>Spinda stopped everything he was doing when he heard the name. "Wait!" he yelled. "You're saying that the Legendary <em>Rayquaza</em> lives around here?!"</p><p>"Uhhhhh…yeah. But it's usually not super welcoming to strangers, so—"</p><p>"Well, what are we waiting for?" The Spot Panda Pokémon grabbed hold of both Pikachu and Jigglypuff's hands, startling them, and then declared, "Let's go pay him a visit!"</p><p>Jigglypuff could only smile helplessly at Pikachu as they were unceremoniously dragged out of what would eventually become the first interdimensional Spinda's Café.</p>
<hr/><p>Kyogre fired a Hydro Pump in Fox's direction, which the vulpine dodged. "Not on my watch!" he barked. Rainbow-colored flames surrounded his body as the power of the Smash Ball he had just broken coursed through his veins. "Hey, Wolf! How much time do you think Kyogre has left? Five seconds? Can't get me in five seconds, can it?"</p><p>The Sea Basin Pokémon let out a piercing cry as he sent another Hydro Pump at Fox. He barely sidestepped the attack.</p><p>Wolf muttered something rude under his breath before leaping into the fray. He swiped at Fox's back with his sharp claws. "C'mon, what's holding up that Final Smash?" he taunted. "Scared that you'll drive your Landmaster off the stage?"</p><p>Fox spun around and jumped over Wolf. At the same time, Kyogre's Hydro Pump skimmed right past his left side. "Just you wait, Wolf!"</p><p>"Oh, I'm waitin', but my patience is running out <em>real</em> fast," said Wolf through his bared teeth. He took out his Blaster and fired twice at Fox, who sidestepped the first shot and threw up his Reflector to deflect the second one. Wolf laughed a little as he took a few steps back to allow the green-colored blast from his own gun to dissipate. "How much longer, man?"</p><p>Poké Balls and Assist Trophies continued to spawn around the stage. However, both Fox and Wolf took no notice of them and instead focused only on each other, intent on triumphing over his opponent.</p><p>"Got some bad news for you, buddy." Fox rushed at Wolf from behind and grabbed his adversary's arms, holding them tightly so that he couldn't wriggle free. His golden eyes glinted. "The main act has been delayed!"</p><p>When Kyogre let loose its final Hydro Pump, Fox jumped right into the torrent of water—and dragged Wolf into it. The Hydro Pump carried both Smashers off and away from the Pleiades.</p><p>"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" screamed Wolf.</p><p>"Making my life easier!" answered Fox.</p><p>Kyogre's time on the stage ran out, and it disappeared. Wolf struggled harder in Fox's strong grip as he saw the left blast line rapidly approaching them. Before he could say anything more, Fox had released him…only to kick him toward the blast line.</p><p>"Have a nice flight!" yelled Fox with a smirk as he watched his opponent fly past the blast line and vanish with a bluish explosion. With a couple of well-timed air jumps followed by a Fire Fox, he managed to return the stage. He heaved himself over the left ledge of the Pleiades and crawled back to safety, just in time to see Wolf return on a revival platform with only one life left.</p><p>"Ah, hell," growled Wolf when he saw the rainbow flames still flickering around Fox's body. "You're <em>still</em> holding off on that Final Smash?"</p><p>Fox swung his right arm in a circle to relieve some of the tension. "It's all about timing, isn't it?" he said smugly.</p><p>"You're hogging the ball, goddammit!"</p><p>Wolf wasn't wrong. To prevent absolute chaos from being unleashed within the virtual space that Brawls took place in, only one Smash Ball could appear at once, meaning that only one Smasher at a time could use their Final Smash. Furthermore, a new Smash Ball wouldn't appear as long as someone had the Smash Ball's power but hadn't used his or her Final Smash yet. However, there were no rules stating that one couldn't hold onto the Smash Ball's power indefinitely, so Fox was taking full advantage of this.</p><p>"So tell me, Wolf," the vulpine said, changing the subject, "why are you <em>still</em> on that revival platform? Scared that my Landmaster will drive off the stage…with you on it?"</p><p>Wolf gnashed his teeth angrily. The Landmaster's huge bulk could easily take out a Smasher either by throwing them far distances with its powerful cannon or simply by carrying them past one of the blast lines. This was much more liable to happen on smaller stages like Lylat Cruise. If Wolf didn't move quickly, Fox could easily take out his second and last life.</p><p>In other words, Fox wasn't wrong, either.</p><p>"Aghhhhh—<em>screw this!</em>" Wolf launched himself off the revival platform and used Wolf Flash straight at Fox. He rammed his shoulder into Fox's stomach with so much strength that Fox was immediately slammed onto the ground, unable to breathe for a few long moments. At the same time, his damage meter jumped from 51% to 66%. The rainbow-colored flames around his body flashed white for a second before lifting off of his body and condensing into the shape of a Smash Ball. Its power having been held in reserve for so long made the ball much easier to break, which was exactly what Wolf did. As Fox lay incapacitated on the stage's surface, Wolf leered at him, his now golden eyes flashing with exhilaration.</p><p>"Kiddo," he said, gently prodding at his shocked opponent with the toe of his boot, "we're gonna have <em>so</em> much fun with this thing." He smiled nastily as the blue wireframe of a massive tank materialized around him and solidified into a red and gray Landmaster. Fox coughed several times before scooting away from Wolf's Landmaster as quickly as he could, which was pretty difficult because the tank took up most of the available space on the stage.</p><p><em>"Gonna give you a crash course in combat, Star Fox."</em> Wolf's gruff voice echoed harshly from the Landmaster. <em>"Lesson one: don't hog the Smash Ball!"</em></p><p>Fox let out a fast and loud breath through his nose as he slowly got up from the floor, his stomach still aching. Wolf was invulnerable within the impenetrable armor of his Landmaster. The vulpine Smasher, then, had no choice but to defend himself for as long as Wolf's Landmaster was on the stage. But just as he was about to dash away, the Landmaster turned its cannon on him and fired a gigantic blast of energy that nailed him right in the small of his back, throwing him dangerously close to the right edge of the Pleiades.</p><p>
  <em>"Lesson two: learn how to dodge!"</em>
</p><p>With some effort, Fox pushed himself back onto his feet. "God<em>dammit</em>," he whispered when he saw his damage meter reading 86%. He knew Landmasters well—he had used one a handful of times during his adventures with his Star Fox teammates, and he piloted one for his Final Smash, as did Falco. The Landmaster was a powerful ground-based, anti-air combat vehicle that could hover and even perform rolls. Its most devastating weapon was its laser cannon, which was capable of destroying monstrous aliens with just one blast. To his understanding, Wolf had at some point gained access to the blueprints of Star Fox's Landmaster and used them to build his own version of the tank, which boasted of greatly boosted mobility and firepower. The only downside to this was that Wolf's Landmaster consumed fuel much faster and thus couldn't be used for very long. To reflect this in Brawls, Wolf's Final Smash had a shorter duration compared to Fox or Falco's. This didn't make it any less dangerous, however.</p><p>All of a sudden, the Landmaster rolled toward Fox. Thinking quickly, the vulpine Smasher jumped up and climbed on top of the Landmaster's cannon, where Wolf couldn't shoot at him. He took a moment to catch his breath, abruptly aware that his heart was pounding so hard that he could feel it thudding against his chest.</p><p>
  <em>"Lesson three…"</em>
</p><p>The Landmaster lurched as it fired up the pinkish jets beneath its body, carrying it ten feet into the air within seconds. Fox lost his footing and tumbled off the cannon. As he flailed in midair, the Landmaster's cannon pointed right at him, the inside of its barrel glowing bright red.</p><p>
  <em>"DON'T GET TOO COCKY, STAR FOX!"</em>
</p><p>One cannon blast later, Fox hurtled past the right blast line, a red-colored explosion of light indicating the loss of his first life.</p>
<hr/><p>King Dedede couldn't find his hammer, and he was pissed.</p><p>He had woken up earlier than usual this morning. Something was amiss, and he could feel it. But he decided to brush off these feelings, and he headed downstairs to get some breakfast before everyone else in the mansion came down and took all the chocolate pancakes. He didn't bother to get his hammer because he wasn't about to carry the giant thing around during breakfast. But as he was eating, and then as he was listening to Master Hand's pre-Brawl announcements in the Brawl Room, he still felt like something was off.</p><p>He wasn't sure what the cause of this was until he went back to his room to grab his hammer…only to find that it wasn't there.</p><p>"Phooey," the penguin king grumbled to himself as he paced up and down the fourth floor in exasperation. The hammer was his most cherished possession. Designed just for him, it was so heavy that most people couldn't even lift it, let alone wield it. It almost looked cute with its pink and yellow color scheme, but its star-studded surface was very appropriate: anybody unfortunate enough to be hit by the hammer would be seeing stars for days. The hammer also contained a rocket booster that allowed King Dedede to strike his opponents with even more force in addition to his own great strength.</p><p>So who could have taken it?</p><p>Naturally, he first thought of Kirby. The pink puffball was his greatest nemesis, after all, and even though they could sort of be considered friends nowadays, he still enjoyed messing around with the penguin king. Depending on the Copy Ability he had, Kirby could have easily made off with King Dedede's hammer.</p><p><em>But he's not dumb,</em> King Dedede then thought. <em>He could be a pain in the neck, but even </em>he<em> knows it's a bad idea to steal my hammer.</em></p><p>He wondered some more. Several Smashers and other residents of the Smash Mansion could have taken his hammer by either using psychic abilities or, if they had the muscle, merely picking it up and walking away. But he was sure that he had left it in his room, which even Kirby and Meta Knight couldn't access, and he always locked his door whenever he wasn't inside. For a moment, he pondered the possibility of Meta Knight taking the hammer. He ultimately decided that this was highly unlikely because the masked knight had no reason to take it, and he, like Kirby, knew the consequences of doing so. And besides, he wouldn't waste his time with stealing a hammer that he probably couldn't even pick up when he had a flying battleship to repair.</p><p>The penguin king pulled his hat over his eyes in frustration. If he was picked for the third Brawl of the day but couldn't find his hammer by then, he had no choice to forfeit a possible chance of adding another victory to his list. Obviously, he didn't want to do that. <em>Gahhh!</em> he silently raged.<em> So whodunit?!</em></p><p>
  <em>"…Wheeeeere…"</em>
</p><p>King Dedede stopped walking around when he heard the distant scream.</p><p>
  <em>"…iiiiiiis…"</em>
</p><p>He let out an annoyed groan.</p><p>
  <em>"…myyyyyy…"</em>
</p><p>He awaited the inevitable appearance of his pink nemesis.</p><p>
  <em>"…CAAAAAAAAAKE?!"</em>
</p><p>"Another food disaster?" he said with a small chuckle. "Who woulda thunk it."</p><p>That was when Kirby came out of nowhere. King Dedede fell over in astonishment at his sudden appearance. "K-Kirby!" he stammered. "Where—? How did you—?"</p><p>"DON'T TALK TO MEEEeeeee…!" yelled the livid puffball as he took off just as quickly as he had come, leaving the bewildered penguin king behind in the dust.</p>
<hr/><p>"…And I hope you all thoroughly enjoyed your Smashville experience," said the brown-haired Mii tour guide to the Villager tour group. They were currently standing at the bottom of a small set of stairs that led to a circular gate that was about ten feet tall and made of a peculiar metal that none of the Villagers had ever seen before. "Thanks so much for coming. It was really nice meeting all of you!"</p><p>One of the Villagers, a tiger named Bangle, beamed with enthusiasm. "Of course we liked it, Alexis!" she exclaimed. "Smashville is <em>soooo</em> cool!"</p><p>The Mii named Alexis smiled back. "I'm glad you think so. You're always welcome to visit again."</p><p>"Hey, what are our chances of seeing the Super Smash Brothers next time?" asked a lion named Mott.</p><p>"That mostly depends on <em>their</em> schedule, which I don't know a thing about," said Alexis somewhat apologetically. "Some of them come down to Smashville Plaza pretty often, though, so I think today was just a case of bad luck. Keep your fingers crossed if you plan on making another trip to the Smash World."</p><p>The Villagers chattered excitedly among each other. Then a goat named Nan glanced up at the clock tower that rose high above everybody's heads. Her eyes widened when she saw the time.</p><p><em>"Wah-ah-ah-ah!"</em> she bleated sharply. "We really need to get going. I have a little get-together with some friends planned for this evening and I haven't even swept my house yet!"</p><p>Alexis nodded in understanding. "Gotcha. Will you all please stand back?"</p><p>The Villagers backed away from the strange circular gate as the Mii ran up the steps and went over to the right side of the gate. She pulled a panel open, fiddled with something within the compartment, and pushed down a hidden lever. The moment the lever reached its bottommost position, the area within the gate flashed a few times before filling up with a swirling portal that glowed with a mysterious blue light. Alexis remained at the side of the gate for a few more seconds to check on its status.</p><p>"Okay. No anomalies detected… Everything is in good order… Destination set to Animal Crossing in the Wild World… Awesome." She turned back to give a thumbs-up to the Villagers at the bottom of the steps. "All right, the Transport Gate is up and running. Just step through the gate and you'll be back in Animal Crossing in no time. Again, thank you all very much for paying us a visit. If you have anything else to say, just send a letter addressed to Alexis of Smashville." She bowed slightly. "I hope to see you again soon!"</p><p>The Villagers thanked her profusely and formed a single-file line to make their way up the stairs that led to the Transport Gate. But no sooner had Mott, who was at the head of the line, reached the top step than a yellowish blur shot through the gate before he could go through it.</p><p>"Yowza!" he cried in a panic, nearly tumbling down the stairs. "What was that?"</p><p>Alexis immediately checked the Transport Gate's status again, her brows furrowing as she read the information. "It says here…that someone just went through the gate. But who—"</p><p>She was interrupted by the appearance of a very large, blue-furred mouse with a noticeable outie. He wore a red bandana and shirt and had an eyepatch over his left eye. He was carrying a giant wooden hammer with a yellow star on each flat side of its head. Completely disregarding Alexis and the Villagers' confused looks, he lumbered through the gate and vanished from view.</p><p>
  <em>"…Get back heeeEEEERE!"</em>
</p><p>A pink puffball hurtled past the Villagers and Alexis, bounced off Mott's head, and dived through the Transport Gate, still screaming hysterically. This time, Mott <em>did</em> tumble down the stairs.</p><p>"W-w-was that—" he began to splutter. "Did I just get run over by <em>Kirby</em>, the hero of Dream Land?!"</p><p>Alexis took a deep breath and exhaled quietly. Something was up. "…All right, everyone, get through the gate <em>now</em>. You'll be in Animal Crossing before you know it, but those guys who entered before you are there, too, so keep your eyes open. Move quickly and <em>stay calm</em>!"</p><p>"But, um…what about you, Alexis?" a dog named Isabelle asked worriedly.</p><p>"Me? Heh, don't worry about me. Just look out for yourselves. I gotta grab something from my house before hopping over to Animal Crossing myself. I was careless, so it's my responsibility to get those guys out of the Wild World. Now go!"</p><p>The Villagers hurried through the Transport Gate, entering the portal in pairs. Alexis watched them go and ran a hand through her ashy-brown hair. "Well, at least I'll be seeing some action today," she said to herself with a small smile. Her hazel eyes shone with excitement as she tugged at the collar of her yellow leather jacket. "Time to bring out the big guns!"</p>
<hr/><p><em>Kapow!</em> The sole of Fox's boot collided with Wolf's face almost immediately after the latter had descended from the sky on a revival platform. Wolf could feel the rage rolling off of Fox in waves as he reeled backward, his left cheek throbbing.</p><p>"You <em>sonofa</em>—!" snarled Fox, attacking his adversary with a flurry of rapid kicks. "Why are you like this?!"</p><p>Wolf took another step away from him and rubbed his cheek. "Aww, Fox!" he exclaimed, feigning dismay. "After all the times I've helped you out, you still call me a bastard? You're really good at hurting my feelings…" He bared his teeth. "…and my <em>face</em>!" He lunged at Fox, grabbed a hold of his red scarf, and kneed him in the stomach. Fox yapped in agony when the sharp spike of Wolf's metal kneepad dug deep into his abdomen. "Hurts, doesn't it?" hissed Wolf in an undertone. "Whatcha gonna do? Cry for your daddy?" He gasped and snickered viciously. "Ohhh, that's <em>right</em><a href="#foxdad" id="foxdadback" name="foxdadback"><sup>6</sup></a>." He kicked the vulpine away, and then he drew his Blaster from its holster and squeezed the trigger, only to feel the energy shot backfire on himself and momentarily paralyze him. He frowned with some displeasure when he saw Fox holding his Reflector in his left hand; his other hand was over his stomach.</p><p>"It hurts," Fox agreed with a pained smile, "but that's not about to stop me."</p><p>Wolf gave him a snide grin. "Attaboy. That's the spirit."</p><p>"And your sense of humor is total…"</p><p>This time, it was Wolf's turn to let out a loud yelp when Fox drop-kicked him and pushed him toward the edge of the Lylat Cruise stage.</p><p>"…<em>bull</em>!"</p><p>Fox threw his right leg forward, intending to hit his opponent with the toe of his boot, but Wolf managed to block the blow with his arm and push against Fox's ankle. The Pleiades rocked unsteadily from side to side as the two Smashers found themselves at an impasse. Both of them seemed to have completely forgotten about their damage meters as well as the Poké Balls and Assist Trophies that continued to materialize all around them.</p><p>"That was <em>way</em> too far, Wolf!" shouted Fox, looking thoroughly infuriated. "Don't you <em>ever</em> talk about my dad like that!"</p><p>"You need to chill," Wolf shot back. "Death ain't <em>that</em> taboo."</p><p>In response, Fox lowered his leg, only to immediately spin his other leg around. Wolf reacted too slowly and was struck by Fox's roundhouse kick. He didn't realize how close he was to the edge of the stage and ended up slipping and falling.</p><p>"Dammit—!" He air-jumped and caught the stage's ledge by his fingertips. He heaved a heavy sigh of relief—any later and he would have missed it. He raised his head to see Fox scowling down at him and snorted sardonically. "Why the long face, kiddo? Was it somethin I said'?"</p><p>Fox continued to glare at him, his emerald eyes filled with hatred and agitation. But then the hard look in his eyes softened, and he knelt down.</p><p>"…Okay, look," he said. Wolf could easily tell that he was trying to keep himself calm. "We've been enemies for as long as I could remember. And I know you and my dad weren't super friendly with each other. But something tells me that he had respect for you, and you for him. And I truly appreciate the times you've assisted me and my team. So…thank you." He held out his hand. "Let's finish this fight fair and square. No items, no Smash Balls, just pure skill. All right?"</p><p>Wolf just laughed, his rough voice full of exhaustion. His fingers burned as he struggled to hold onto the ledge. "You're a strange one, McCloud," he said. "But sure." He fell silent for a moment before adding, "And I'm sorry about what I said about your dad. We butted heads every once in a while, but even I can't deny that he was a great guy."</p><p>"Tch, I thought you'd say something like that," said Fox with a roll of his eyes. "You gonna return to the stage soon or should I just leave you hanging there?"</p><p>With a grunt, Wolf lifted his free hand and took hold of Fox's outstretched one. "Heh. Thanks for the save…"</p><p>As Fox began to pull him back to safety, Wolf abruptly wrenched his arm back. Fox yelled with surprise and fell forward…and into open space. He attempted to recover, only for Wolf to plant his feet on his chest and forcefully shove him back down. As Fox flailed helplessly through the air and toward the blast line below the stage, he stared at his opponent in open-mouthed astonishment as the latter leered and howled at him.</p><p>"…and have a nice flight!"</p>
<hr/><p><em>"GAME!"</em> Master Hand declared at last when the reddish light that streaked across the television screen signaled the loss of Fox's second and last life. The Smashers watching the Brawl with him all sighed loudly in relief. This match had been one hell of a rollercoaster—especially for Falco, who knew the most about Fox's past.</p><p>The air directly in front of the screen shimmered a little, and then Fox and Wolf emerged out of nowhere. The first thing Fox did was punch his adversary in the face. When Wolf turned to give him a quizzical look, the vulpine just glared at him, his cheeks flushing slightly.</p><p>"You <em>asshole</em>," he hissed through his clenched teeth, and then he stormed out of the room. Pit and the Ice Climbers quickly stepped aside to let him pass them.</p><p>Wolf shrugged. "Lesson four," he called after him. "Show no mercy in battle!"</p><p>Falco started to go after Fox, but Wolf put his hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Leave him be," he told him with a subtle smile. "I riled him up real good today and he needs some time off. I'll check on him later."</p><p>"<em>You'll</em> check on him? Should I prepare a eulogy while you're at it?" asked Falco dryly. "Maybe get a coffin and send out invitations to your funeral?"</p><p>Wolf laughed at the snide comment.</p><p>"But anyway," continued the avian, his tone changing from sarcastic to serious, "I don't think you should go. I'll pay him a visit after a bit. You just stay away from him. All right?"</p><p>"Nah, trust me. I got this. I have something to tell him, too. And I kind of owe him an apology—"</p><p><em>"In any case,"</em> Master Hand cut in, getting between the two Smashers, <em>"I must congratulate you on your victory, Wolf. I was quite impressed by how you fought."</em> Then, in a stern voice, he said, <em>"But I must also caution you about what you say to Fox."</em></p><p>"Well…the kid's got a long road ahead of him," Wolf carefully replied. "Fights are a show of strength, skill…and willpower. Fox can't win if all it takes is one tasteless joke about his dad. As bad as it sounds, you have to be completely emotionless in a fight. Can't let the thought of your friends and family get too far into your head."</p><p>
  <em>"He appeared to be highly affected by your rather…crass statement."</em>
</p><p>"Sure, but I like to see it as dark humor."</p><p>Master Hand just sighed in exasperation, his deep voice resonating around the room and through everyone's heads. There was simply no convincing Wolf otherwise. Pit looked around and, seeing that no one had anything else to add to the conversation, decided to take this opportunity to change the topic to something more lighthearted.</p><p>"Soooo…uhhh," he said, "is anyone else ready for some lunch? I'm starving."</p><p>Lunch was a much-welcomed affair, especially for those who had taken part in one of the two Brawls that occurred in the morning of every weekday. The Smashers ate either in the dining hall or somewhere outside the Smash Mansion. Most Smashers stayed inside the mansion to eat because the food was free and Peach's recipes never failed to impress. Those who went out to eat did so from time to time, mostly to pay their non-Smasher friends a visit or support their businesses.</p><p>By the time Samus, Pit, the Ice Climbers, and Wolf reached the dining hall, most of the other Smashers were already there, helping themselves to the food. Nana noticed that several Smashers were missing.</p><p>"Doesn't Pikachu normally eat here?" she asked Samus. "It's not like him to be late for lunch, is it?"</p><p>"No," replied the bounty hunter. "But I wouldn't be surprised if he just forgot. He disappeared from the Brawl Room really quickly this morning. Said something about making a card pyramid with Jigglypuff…"</p><p>Pit and Wolf went their separate ways, while Popo and Nana stuck with Samus to get some food together. As they each picked up a ceramic plate and went to the food counters, they could hear the gentle murmur of the Smash Mansion residents' conversations in the background. After helping themselves to whatever they wanted, Samus and the Ice Climbers went to an empty table and sat down to eat.</p><p>"It's weirdly quiet today, dontcha think?" Popo remarked before digging into his meal.</p><p>Samus looked up and scanned the room, her sharp eyes missing nothing. "Aha," she said. "That's likely because Kirby and Dedede aren't here."</p><p>"Oh, okay," said Popo, and he went back to his food…only to glance back up not a moment later, his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide. "Wait. <em>Kirby and King Dedede?!</em>"</p><p>"Unless they both happened to decide to eat in Smashville Plaza today, it's really weird for them to not be here," said Nana. "But I'm honestly not super worried about them."</p><p>"Wh-what?" Popo blurted out in disbelief. "Nana! Why?"</p><p>His sister giggled. "They'll be back here before you know it. Trust me." She tilted her head toward a food counter half-covered with slices of pie. "No one can resist Peach's delicious apple pie. In fact, I'm getting some right now before they all disappear." Nana got up from the table and left her panicking brother with a smiling Samus.</p>
<hr/><p>It was a peaceful day in Animal Crossing. The sun was shining, the sky was clear, the breeze was gentle, and the birds were singing. Several Villagers were milling around, carrying either fishing poles or bug nets over their shoulders. Some were relaxing in the shade of the trees or chatting with each other about various things.</p><p>And that was when a pink puffball entered the scene.</p><p>"You can't get away from me!" he shouted as he dashed across the short grass. "Get back here and give me back my stuff, you thieving Squeaks!"</p><p>Running away from him were two mouse-like Squeaks. The larger one had blue fur and held King Dedede's hammer in his paws; the other one, who was tiny compared to the former, had yellow fur and wore a red cape and a pair of shiny sunglasses. This Squeak was carrying a plate with a slice of strawberry shortcake. Villagers stared at the three strange creatures as they rushed past them.</p><p>"You just don't understand, Kirbs!" the small Squeak yelled over his shoulder. "Calm down and we can talk!"</p><p><em>"No!"</em> Kirby answered, continuing to pursue the two Squeaks. "My day was going so well until you two came along! <em>Give me back my cake, Spinni!</em>"</p><p>"Looks like we don't have any other choice, Storo," Spinni said to his large companion. "Keep it up!"</p><p>The blue-furred Squeak named Storo just wailed in desperation. He was completely burnt out and his stubby paws felt like they were on fire, but he continued to run.</p><p>
  <em>"SPINNI!"</em>
</p><p>"Gosh, he's serious!" said Spinni to himself. "Let's slow him down. Storo, go!"</p><p>Storo came to a stop. He whirled around and slung King Dedede's hammer at Kirby, who slid under it and hit Storo's lower jaw with an uppercut. While Storo was distracted, Kirby took out his own hammer and smashed it on top of the large Squeak's head. Storo bellowed in pain, now thoroughly angered by the puffball. He brought King Dedede's hammer over his head and slammed it into the ground, creating a shockwave that threw Kirby away from him. Kirby quickly produced a curved blade and slashed at Storo with Final Cutter.</p><p>
  <em>"RAHHHH!"</em>
</p><p>A penguin wearing a red, fur-lined robe crashed right into Storo and threw him away from Kirby. He and the Squeak began to grapple for the hammer that the latter had been using to attack Kirby.</p><p>"Hey, Triple D!" said Kirby with surprise upon recognizing the penguin. "How did <em>you</em> get here?"</p><p>"Same as you, Kirb—<em>oof!</em>" grunted King Dedede when Storo punched him in the face. He smacked him back twice as hard. "I just followed the trail of my trusty ol' hammer and found these two thieves!"</p><p>"Wow, just like me with my cake! Great minds think alike!"</p><p>"I <em>do</em> have a great mind, thank you very—<em>ow!</em> That's enough from you!" King Dedede dived at Storo and wrapped his hands around the handle of his hammer. He yanked it away from the Squeak, making the latter fall to the ground. Hoisting the star-studded hammer above his head, he proclaimed, "<em>No one</em> touches the king's hammer! And you had the nerve to <em>steal</em> it!" He pointed the hammer at Storo. "Now you'll <em>pay</em>!"</p><p>Kirby went to join King Dedede, but he was stopped by a shuriken that embedded one of its sharp points into the grass at his feet. He looked up to see Spinni flying at him.</p><p>"If it's a fight ya want, then it's a fight you'll get!" the small Squeak declared, already preparing to throw another shuriken at Kirby. The plate with Kirby's cake lay behind him, seemingly forgotten. "Here I come!"</p><p>Kirby narrowly dodged the shuriken that Spinni hurled at him. Then he inflated himself to float upward and attempted to knock Spinni out of the air by transforming into a pink rock. But since the move was very predictable, the speedy Spinni was easily able to move out of the way of the attack. He produced a metal claw and swiped at Kirby the moment he turned back into his puffy self, making the pink puffball cry out in pain before retaliating with a spin kick that tripped Spinni, who went sliding across the ground.</p><p>King Dedede, in the meantime, was evenly matched with Storo. The large Squeak, despite now being unarmed, was putting up a good fight with his fists, forcing the penguin to defend himself with his sturdy hammer. Storo jumped high into the air, intending to squash his opponent, but King Dedede used Super Dedede Jump immediately afterward and kicked the Squeak out of the air, sending him crashing ungracefully into the ground. <em>"Boom!"</em> the penguin king squawked triumphantly when he landed on top of the incapacitated Squeak. Storo squealed loudly and scooted away from King Dedede the moment he could, fearing the penguin king's wrath. Then he ran for it.</p><p>"No, Storo! Come back! We aren't done here!" Spinni threw a shuriken at Kirby, which the pink puffball deflected with a slash of his Cutter Boomerang. "We need Kirbs!"</p><p>Storo stopped in his tracks and looked at Spinni and Kirby. Then he redirected his attention to King Dedede, who brandished his gigantic hammer threateningly. That was all it took for the Squeak to make his final decision. <em>"Noooooo!"</em> he yowled in terror, and he took off.</p><p>"Aw, man," groaned Spinni crossly, putting a paw to his face. "Don't bail on me now!"</p><p>"Hey, Spinni!" said Kirby angrily, and the small Squeak looked at him. "What do you need me for? Stealing more cakes?"</p><p>"No, no, nothing like that—" Spinni didn't get a chance to finish his sentence because Kirby swung his hammer at him. He nimbly jumped over it and tossed another shuriken, which Kirby blocked with his hammer. The shuriken buried itself in the head of Kirby's hammer. "Boy, what's gotten into you today? You're normally never this mad, even when we were enemies."</p><p>"Oh, let me think about it…" Kirby set aside his hammer and put on a pondering face. "Umm…maybe…" With a stubby arm, he pointed accusingly at Spinni. "…it's because you stole my cake! You didn't even ask for my permission!"</p><p>Spinni looked at Kirby strangely. "…But…the whole point of stealing is to take people's stuff without their permission—"</p><p>Kirby launched himself at the small Squeak and struck him with a flip kick.</p><p>"<em>Ouch!</em> Fine, have it your way!" Spinni pulled out his metal claw again and slashed at Kirby; the pink puffball countered with his Cutter Boomerang and followed that up by rapidly jabbing at his adversary. "Calm down, will ya?" yelled the Squeak. "I just wanna chat!"</p><p>"Not until you give me back my cake!"</p><p>"Cake this, cake that—can you ever think about something that isn't—whoa, watch where ya swing that thing!" Spinni snapped when Kirby's hammer nearly clobbered him. "Guess I'll just have to knock you out!"</p><p>"Not on <em>my</em> watch!" King Dedede suddenly loomed out of nowhere and pounded the ground with his hammer, separating Spinni from Kirby. "The puffball's <em>my</em> ultimate enemy! You're just some random mid-boss character that we happened to bump into! Now <em>back off</em>!" He lifted his hammer, making Spinni squeak with fright.</p><p>"Yeesh…!" Spinni breathed deeply, thinking quickly. "…Okay, okay, I can't take any more of this." He flitted away from Kirby and King Dedede and snatched up the plate of strawberry shortcake that lay innocently in the grass. "Here, Kirbs! Catch!" He threw the plate at Kirby like a frisbee; the slice of cake somehow didn't move from its plate. Kirby, forgetting all about the fight he had had with Spinni, cried out in delight and ran toward the cake as quickly as his small legs could take him. King Dedede saw that he wouldn't make it, so he lunged forward, holding his hammer before him, and managed to catch the plate of cake on the flat end of his hammer.</p><p>"I got it, Kirby," the penguin king called. "Now hurry up and get this thing before the Squeaks think about taking it again!"</p><p>"On my way, Triple D!" Kirby scurried in King Dedede's direction, eyes only on the precious slice of strawberry cheesecake. He had waited far too long for this moment, and he wasn't about to let his chance of finally enjoying the cake that Peach had baked just for him slip away again. He was so close—five feet away, then four, three, two, and—</p><p>A dark-colored figure flashed by. Kirby pounced on King Dedede's hammer, only to feel his face make contact with solid wood. Baffled, he looked around and realized that his cake was nowhere to be seen. "What gives?" he exclaimed. "Who keeps taking my cake?!" He looked up. "Wait! Aren't you…?"</p><p>A mouse-like creature with detached paws floated in the air above Kirby and King Dedede. He wore a red top hat with a wide brim, as well as a ragged, red cape whose high collar concealed most of his face. Clutched in his right, clawed paw was a wand whose red gem buzzed with magical energy. Kirby and King Dedede instantly recognized this creature.</p><p>"…Daroach?" finished King Dedede.

</p><p>Daroach<a href="#daroach" id="daroachback" name="daroachback"><sup>7</sup></a> was the leader of the Squeaks. He and Kirby first got to know each other when the Squeaks stole some cake from Kirby and a treasure chest containing an evil creature called Dark Nebula. A little while later, when Kirby was split into ten weaker copies of himself, Daroach and the Squeaks helped the pink puffball put himself back into one piece <strong><em>(7)</em></strong>.</p><p>Spinni was surprised to see his leader here. "Whoa, it's the boss!" he said with some surprise, approaching Daroach. "…And he's looking even worse than he did this morning!"</p><p>The caped Squeak did indeed look strange. His fur was an odd shade of gray, and his hat and cape were a dirty red. His scarlet eyes glowed sinisterly.</p><p>Spinni had never seen Daroach like this before. But the malevolent aura was familiar to Kirby and King Dedede.</p><p>"That ain't Daroach!" shouted King Dedede with a gasp. "That's a <em>False</em>! The eyes are different, but still…I thought we had defeated all of 'em!"</p><p>Falses were the menacing creatures that the Smashers had to fight when Tabuu had trapped them in his Great Maze. Each one was composed of hundreds of Shadow Bugs, which had the ability to merge together to form copies of basically any individual. A False had the same abilities as whoever it was a copy of; for example, Kirby's False could inhale opponents and gain their abilities, and King Dedede's False had a perfect replica of the penguin king's hammer and wielded it with equal dexterity. In order to reach Tabuu, who was waiting in the center of his maze, the Smashers had to battle and defeat every single False that the Shadow Bugs created, meaning that they faced a copy of every member of their group. In the end, the Smashers faced Tabuu and even defeated him, meaning that they had managed to take out every False…but with the appearance of the False Daroach, this evidently wasn't so.</p><p>Kirby was just as stunned to see a False standing before him. But his shock and awe were quickly replaced by burning rage when he saw what the False Daroach was holding in its left paw.</p><p>"Oh," he said dangerously. "Is that…my CAKE?"</p><p>The False scarcely had any time to react when Kirby jumped up and planted his feet into its face. While the False was recovering from the assault, Kirby raced back to King Dedede and grabbed the penguin's massive hammer, galloping back to the False Daroach before King Dedede could remember his own rule about other people touching his hammer or wonder how Kirby was able to lift the thing.</p><p>"WHAT IS IT WITH EVERYONE TODAY…"</p><p>Kirby raised the star-studded hammer high above his head.</p><p>"…PREVENTING ME FROM ENJOYING MY <em>CAKE</em>?!"</p><p>A bluish portal opened up in the clear sky, and a Mii wearing yellow-colored attire and a metallic arm cannon over her right arm dropped out of it. Kirby smashed King Dedede's hammer on top of the False Daroach, and at the same time, the Mii fired a plasma shot from her arm cannon that struck both the puffball and the False. The False, unable to withstand the force of a hammer blow combined with a cannon blast, went flying off into the sky, where it eventually vanished without a trace. With nothing to support it, the plate with Kirby's strawberry shortcake fell through the air and miraculously landed right side up on the grass; the cake didn't have so much as a smidgen of dirt on its creamy white surface. Kirby, who was already tired out from chasing and battling Spinni and Storo, was instantly knocked out by the Mii's cannon blast. King Dedede sprinted forward and scooped the unconscious puffball out of the air before he could hit the ground. Spinni squeaked shrilly and sped away before anybody could see where he'd gone to. As King Dedede began to say something to Kirby, the Mii landed on him and walloped the back of his head with her arm cannon, knocking him out as well.</p><p>"Phew!" the Mii named Alexis said with a quiet snort. "At this rate, I could become a Smasher myself!" She looked down at the two motionless Smashers. "These boys took out that False real fast. Color me impressed!" Then she sighed wearily. "Now, to get you back to Smashville…"</p><p>Unbeknownst to any of them, the Villager named Isabelle had been watching everything from within the safety of an office in Animal Crossing's Town Hall. She turned to the human standing next to her.</p><p>"Oh, Mr. Mayor!" she cried, sounding flustered. "Did you see all that? I must say that's the most danger this town has ever been in! Who knew the Smashers could take their battles so far from Smashville?" She looked through the window again to see the Mii struggling to drag the heavyset penguin and the pink puffball through a portal. "Do you think today's events could affect the town's rating?"</p><p>The mayor didn't answer. Isabelle knew he normally didn't have much to say, but he cared deeply about what the Villagers of Animal Crossing thought of the town, so the dog thought it was strange that he was so quiet. She glanced at him.</p><p>"…Ahhh…Mr. Mayor… Mayor Arden…?"</p><p>Arden remained silent, but now there was a mischievous gleam in his eye.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p><a id="pleiades" name="pleiades"></a>1. In reality, there is no starship called the Pleiades in the <em>Star Fox</em> series. The Pleiades is an original ship created solely for the Lylat Cruise stage in the <em>SSB</em> games. Therefore, there isn't an "actual" Pleiades. <a href="#pleiadesback">Back</a></p><p><a id="famidrive" name="famidrive"></a>2. Based on the Famicom (or NES). This game console appears in <em>Persona 5</em>. <a href="#famidriveback">Back</a></p><p><a id="punchouch" name="punchouch"></a>3. Based on <em>Punch-Out‼</em> This game appears in <em>Persona 5</em>. <a href="#punchouchback">Back</a></p><p><a id="treasuretown" name="treasuretown"></a>4. Treasure Town is a location in <em>Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness</em>/<em>Time</em>/<em>Sky</em>. It's where you and your partner live. Spinda's Café, which only appears in <em>Explorers of Sky</em>, is an underground location that consists of two shops: Spinda's Juice Bar, run by Spinda, where you can make beverages that can boost your stats; and the Recycle Shop, run by Wynaut and Wobbuffet, where you can trade items and win prizes. <a href="#treasuretownback">Back</a></p><p><a id="mastermayor" name="mastermayor"></a>5. At this point, it's assumed that Master Hand is the mayor of Smashville. <a href="#mastermayorback">Back</a></p><p><a id="foxdad" name="foxdad"></a>6. Fox's dad, James McCloud, was murdered by Andross. It's believed that Wolf played some part in this. <a href="#foxdadback">Back</a></p><p><a id="daroach" name="daroach"></a>7. Daroach appeared as an antagonist in <em>Kirby: Squeak Squad</em>, and then as a supporting character in <em>Kirby Mass Attack</em>. <a href="#daroachback">Back</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Full Steam Ahead</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Pikachu and Jigglypuff spend some quality time with their newest acquaintance. Yoshi and R.O.B. have a Brawl. Mario does some doctor stuff and discovers something worrying about Lucario. Fox receives a radio transmission from…his dead father?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"So <em>this</em> is where Rayquaza lives! What a wonderful place."</p><p>Spinda took a breath of fresh air, taking in the rich, earthy smell of the Fellwood. He believed the forest's foreboding name was a misnomer—with the sun's rays shining through the treetops, the Fellwood almost looked magical.</p><p>"This forest has such a depressing name," he remarked to Pikachu and Jigglypuff, both of whom were walking just ahead of him. "'Fellwood'? Do either of you see any fallen wood anywhere?"</p><p>Pikachu glanced over his shoulder as he replied, "No, but maybe whoever named the forest was just looking out for the future."</p><p>"Or maybe they gave it a spooky name to prevent people from going in! <em>WooOOOooo!</em>" Jigglypuff made an impression of a ghost that made Pikachu and Spinda chuckle lightly.</p><p>The three Pokémon continued to make their way through the forest, walking along the only path that led into and out of it. The narrow dirt trail wasn't as clear as Pikachu would have liked—had it been nighttime, the trail would have been virtually invisible. But it did help to know that the creatures living within the Fellwood seemed to not care for passersby. It was strange to think that the Smashers had been living next to the large forest for a while and yet none of them was familiar with it. No one talked about it, but everyone seemed to agree to be careful of what it could contain, especially at night. Pikachu wasn't especially keen on traveling through dense forests, and while Jigglypuff was usually up for exploring new places, she suspected that the Fellwood was haunted by some Ghost-type Pokémon, which she wasn't fond of despite being Normal- and Fairy-type.

</p><p>Yet here they were, walking through the Fellwood and accompanying a Pokémon that they had only just met. Pikachu nervously hoped that neither he nor Jigglypuff would be picked for the third Brawl in case they couldn't make it back to the Smash Mansion in time.</p><p>Spinda teetered forward in joy. "Ahh!" he exclaimed. "First I move to a new world with hardly any problems at all, and now I'm about to meet one of the greatest Legendary Pokémon known to Pokémon-kind? I'm absolutely elated by this turn of events!"</p><p>"Don't get too excited yet!" Pikachu warned. "If he doesn't show up, we'll have no choice but to leave. As a Legendary Pokémon, he <em>does</em> have responsibilities that only he could fulfill, you know."</p><p>"And plus, this Rayquaza might not even be the one from your world," added Jigglypuff.</p><p>"Of course. But simply <em>knowing</em> that there's a Legendary Pokémon living right beside Smashville is quite nice as well!"</p><p>Jigglypuff giggled slightly. "Wow, there's just no disappointing this guy, huh?" she whispered to Pikachu.</p><p>They went on. Pikachu and Jigglypuff had to stop every now and then to let Spinda gawk at all the strange creatures they encountered. They looked much like Pokémon, and yet they were so different. For starters, they couldn't talk, and the ones that could communicate audibly made sounds that none of the three Pokémon could understand.</p><p>"What is that creature?" asked Spinda as a brown-colored bird flitted past him.</p><p>"I think it's called a sparrow," answered Jigglypuff. "They're pretty common around here."</p><p>"A sparrow? Is it related to Spearow in any way?"</p><p>"Not at all! I mean, it's not even a Pokémon. Plus, sparrows are a lot smaller and sound much prettier. I should know."</p><p>Pikachu pointed ahead. "There it is!"</p><p>The trees opened up before them, and they found themselves standing in front of a vast lake. The lake's water shimmered with a blend of cerulean and emerald green in the sunlight, which was quite appropriate since Rayquaza occasionally resided in this lake. At the lake's deeper areas, the water had a dark, green-blue hue. Spinda's jaw dropped in awe, and he left the trail, ran down to the lake, and stopped at its shoreline, feeling the cool water lap against his feet.</p><p>"So <em>gorgeous</em>," he breathed.</p><p>Pikachu and Jigglypuff joined the Spot Panda Pokémon at his side and gazed at the lake with him. The gentle breeze tugged at the water and formed small waves that traveled across the lake and splashed against the shore. Tiny, silver-scaled fish darted through the water and scattered at any sign of movement. It was truly a beautiful sight to behold. Then Jigglypuff spoke up.</p><p>"I just remembered something," she said. "This lake still doesn't have a name."</p><p>"Well, since Rayquaza is the Sky High Pokémon and all, I've been proposing Lake Skyhigh for a while," said Pikachu.</p><p>"Which <em>I</em> think is super cool! But it hasn't really been catching on."</p><p>Spinda's swirling eyes were full of excitement. "Now <em>that</em> is something that I can help you with!" Gesturing toward himself, he said, "Need to spread the news? Well, being a businessmon<a href="#businessmon" id="businessmonback" name="businessmonback"><sup>1</sup></a>, I know all the tricks of the trade. So leave the news-spreading to me and everyone will know the name of this lake in no time. And speaking of the name, I really like your idea, Pikachu," he then said to the Mouse Pokémon. "It certainly fits, knowing the circumstances."</p><p>"Eh, I try!" Pikachu replied modestly with a small shrug. "But thank you."</p><p>The three of them stood at Lake Skyhigh's shoreline for a little longer, entranced by the sparkling, blue-green water. All rumors of the Fellwood's presumed dangers were forgotten. For a moment, they even forgot why they came to the lake in the first place.</p><p>"Oh, that's right!" said Spinda upon remembering. "I don't see Rayquaza. You don't suppose he took this day off?"</p><p>Jigglypuff swept her large, round eyes across the lake. There was no sign that the Sky High Pokémon was in the area. "I think you're right, Spinda," she said after a few seconds of silence. "Or he just doesn't feel like saying hi today. He's way less sociable than, say, M—"</p><p>Pikachu elbowed her sharply just as she began to say "Mew," and she yelped and glared at him. He nodded toward Spinda, and it was then that Jigglypuff understood why he had interrupted her: having seen the Spot Panda Pokémon's reaction at simply <em>hearing</em> that Rayquaza sometimes resided near Smashville, she had a good idea of how he would react to the news that the elusive Mew, among some other Legendary Pokémon, lived right in the Smash Mansion.</p><p>Fortunately, Spinda didn't seem to have noticed anything. He sighed ruefully. "What a shame!" he remarked. "I was looking forward to meeting the Legendary Rayquaza face-to-face. But at least we got some exercise out of this!" he added with a smile.</p><p>At that moment, something in the distance began to chime. It played a short melody—ten notes that started in a descending pattern and then leaped upward and remained in the same key area for the rest of the tune<a href="#bellchime" id="bellchimeback" name="bellchimeback"><sup>2</sup></a>—before striking monotonously several times.</p><p>"It's noon already?" said Pikachu in surprise when he counted twelve chimes. "That means we have an hour left for lunch. I think we should start heading back. I don't want to miss out on Peach's apple pies."</p><p>"Do you think Fox and Wolf finished their Brawl while we were gone?" asked Jigglypuff as she and the Mouse Pokémon returned to the trail.</p><p>"Yeah, probably. I doubt their Brawl could go on for over an hour. You know how they are!"</p><p>Spinda gave Lake Skyhigh a final, longing look before following the two Smashers, and together, they walked along the dirt path back to the entrance of the Fellwood. Then Pikachu abruptly stopped, causing Spinda to bump into him.</p><p>"Hey, what's that?" the Mouse Pokémon asked, pointing to a pair of bright red objects next to a bush. His eyes widened slightly when he approached the bush and saw what they were. "…Shoes?" He gingerly picked up the sneakers, both of which were soaked all the way through, and gave them a cautious sniff. "Did someone go swimming and forget these here? But that doesn't explain why they're wet…"</p><p>"How should I know? I'm not psychic," replied Jigglypuff. "But let's take them back to the mansion and see if they belong to anyone there. Now hurry up! I don't want Master Hand to yell at us for being late."</p><p>Pikachu nodded. He grabbed both sneakers by their white-colored laces and slung them over his shoulder, and then he went after the Balloon Pokémon and Spinda. Little did they know that a pair of yellow eyes was observing them. A massive, serpentine creature with scales that shone like emeralds peered out from the surface of the lake and watched as the trees completely enveloped the three Pokémon once more, hoping that the psychic boy named Ness wouldn't mind receiving a pair of waterlogged sneakers.</p>
<hr/><p>The Smash Mansion's medical room was a familiar place for some of the mansion's residents. There were times when the Brawl System simulated pain in Brawls a little too well, leading to some Smashers suffering from minor injuries in real life. These Smashers, as well as those who had gone on missions that didn't go as well as they would've liked, would find themselves in the small room, which was located on the mansion's first floor. The room had ten beds, shelves and cabinets full of medicines with strange, foreign names, and an office at the back belonging to none other than Mario. To the surprise of many, the red-clad plumber had enough medical knowledge to act as the Smash Mansion's go-to doctor and even be addressed as Dr. Mario<a href="#drmario" id="drmarioback" name="drmarioback"><sup>3</sup></a>, though most people still called him by his normal name without any prefixes. He didn't mind it either way.</p><p>"Good news, Snake!" Mario said happily as he came out of his office. Rather than his regular attire of a red shirt and blue overalls, he was wearing a spotless lab coat over a light gray shirt and red necktie. A head mirror replaced his famous red cap, and a stethoscope hung around his neck. He held a clipboard in his gloved hands. "The X-rays showed no signs of a severe injury. All of your bones and organs are in good shape. There's just some bruising on your abdomen. Luckily for you, the Brawl System helped mitigate much of the damage that you would've received in real life, so you should be fully recovered in no time!" With a stern expression, he continued, "But please take it easy this week. If you really want to do some training, avoid overexerting yourself. I don't want you to hurt yourself even more. And I think it would be a good idea to ask Master Hand if you could postpone your Brawl next week for the week after. He'll understand."</p><p>"So what you're saying is that I could've died if we didn't have the Brawl System, huh?" quipped Snake lightheartedly. He had changed out of his Sneaking Suit earlier and was now lying on a bed in a blue hospital gown. The Sneaking Suit lay neatly folded on a countertop with his bandana on top of it, and his boots were on the floor beside his bed. Despite the throbbing pain in his stomach, the mercenary was in a jovial mood. "Good thing the mansion has all this state-of-the-art tech."</p><p>"Well, we only have Master Hand to thank for that!" Mario glanced at his clipboard before setting it aside on a counter. "And I guess you can also thank Lucario for not kicking you <em>too</em> hard."</p><p>Snake rolled his eyes at the comment. "All right, Doc. By the way, how's he doing?"</p><p>"He fainted the moment he got here, but otherwise, he's okay. I'm monitoring his vitals right now." Mario motioned toward the other side of the room; Snake turned his head to see Lucario there, sleeping soundly on a bed with a white sheet covering his body below his chest. Next to him was a heart monitor that beeped quietly and rhythmically; the machine had several wires running from it that were taped to the Pokémon's head, arms, and paws. "He'll be staying here for a little longer," the doctor explained. "I want to see if I can figure out why he suddenly became so powerful toward the end of your Brawl. He's one mysterious guy!"</p><p>Snake looked away from the other patient to face the ceiling, squinting when the bright lights hit his eyes. He thought about what Mario had just said about Lucario. There really wasn't much he knew about the Aura Pokémon, mostly because he never asked and because the latter never said anything. Lucario was known to be one of the quieter Smashers, as well as one of the most difficult to understand. He was shy around almost everyone apart from Snake, who was among the first Smashers he had met during the Subspace Incident. He had actually become acquainted with Meta Knight and the Ice Climbers a little while before encountering the mercenary, but nowadays he usually had little to say to them—the small knight simply wasn't the conversational type, whereas the twins were a little too rowdy for him. During the Incident, Snake was quick to notice how well Lucario got along with him, and he had asked him why.</p><p>"Your aura is fascinating," the Aura Pokémon had answered.</p><p>Snake didn't probe into it any further. Nevertheless, he still couldn't say that he had completely gotten over his curiosity, even though it had been a while since that day. He still wanted to ask Lucario what he had meant. But his instincts, which usually proved to be correct, told him that the question was a sensitive one.</p><p>"Uhhh…Snake? Hello?"</p><p>Mario's voice snapped Snake back into reality. He tilted his head to see the doctor peering down at him with some concern. "Are you okay?" Mario asked. "You blanked out just now."</p><p>"…Er, yeah. I'm fine." Snake put his arms behind his head. "Just thinking."</p><p>Mario looked confused, but he nodded. "Okee-dokee. I was just saying that you're free to go." He handed an ice pack to the mercenary, who shivered when his fingers made contact with the cold bag. "Cover this with a towel and apply it to your injured area. Do this for fifteen minutes every hour. Oh! And before you go," he quickly added as Snake sat up on the bed, "you might want to change out of that gown."</p><p>Snake looked down at himself. "Heh. Definitely." He was far too self-conscious to walk out of the medical room in nothing but a hospital gown. "But I don't—"</p><p>"Don't worry! Your clothes are right here." Seemingly out of nowhere, Mario brought out a white T-shirt and a pair of olive drab cargo pants. Snake raised a brow upon seeing his clothes, so the doctor answered his unspoken question. "I had a few Koopa Troopas pick up some clothing from your room and leave them here for you before you got here."</p><p>"Well, that's pretty neat." The bipedal, turtle-like creatures still threw Snake off sometimes, but he was starting to appreciate their presence. It was odd that they had access to his room, though—did this mean that they could enter everybody's rooms? Despite the revelation, Snake thought it was quite kind of them to take the time to lend him a hand. "Tell them I said thanks if you see them," he said as he took his clothes from Mario. "And thank you, too."</p><p>"Aw, it's nothing!" replied the doctor with a wide grin. "I'm just doing my job—well, my other one. Now rest up, okay? And if you'll excuse me…" Mario quickly returned to his office, muttering under his breath. Snake was able to catch some of what the doctor was saying.</p><p>"Maybe…there's something that links the two things…or…"</p><p>The moment the door to the office closed, Snake slipped out of his hospital gown and put on his casual clothes, relieved to be dressed in something more comfortable. Then he bent down to put on his boots, wincing in discomfort as he did so. As he was tightening his right boot, he heard a sigh from the other side of the room. He paused and looked toward where Lucario lay. The Aura Pokémon had a strained expression on his face but remained silent.</p><p>All of a sudden, it occurred to Snake that Lucario had never told him a single thing about what he dreamed of. While the mercenary had occasionally given vague descriptions of his dreams to Lucario, the latter hadn't done the same—not yet, at least. Snake pondered over this as he strapped on his other boot and went over to the Pokémon. He listened to Lucario's quiet breathing and the heart monitor's monotonic beeping and continued to wonder.</p>
<hr/><p>There were three knocks on the Smash Mansion's front door. Obviously, Sonic got there first.</p><p>"I got it!" he announced to nobody in particular, and he turned the handle and pulled the door open. "Hey, welcome to the—<em>whoa!</em>"</p><p>Kirby and King Dedede lay passed out on the ground before him, and a Mii wearing a yellow leather jacket was standing over them. "Hey, what's up?" said the Mii, waving at Sonic with the hand that wasn't enveloped by a metallic arm cannon. "I'm just dropping by to, uh, drop these two off." She gestured toward the two Smashers. "It's an interesting story that spans a couple of dimensions. I'd tell you, but I imagine you Smashers have other things to do right now."</p><p>"…Uh…" Sonic wasn't sure what to say, but he eventually managed a simple "thanks." He picked up Kirby and grimaced upon thinking about how much trouble he'd have trying to move the rather large King Dedede into the mansion. Then again, the Mii at the door wasn't much taller than him, and it looked like she alone had dragged both unconscious Smashers all the way to the Smash Mansion from…wherever she had come from. "Heh, I was wondering where they'd gone. Kirby and Dedede would never miss lunch!"</p><p>"I can imagine," agreed the Mii. She motioned toward King Dedede. "So…you need any help getting this guy in?"</p><p>Sonic nodded vigorously, relieved that he didn't have to haul the penguin king inside all by himself. "Gimme a sec." He raced off to put Kirby on a sofa in the living room and promptly returned to the mansion's entrance. Together, he and the Mii pulled, shoved, and rolled King Dedede through the door and across the foyer. After about a minute of grunting and wheezing, they managed to get him into the living room, where they heaved him onto the other end of Kirby's sofa. Somehow, the penguin remained unconscious throughout the whole ordeal.</p><p>The Mii sighed heavily and dusted off her gloves. <em>"Whew!"</em> she said. "I hope I'll never have to do that again."</p><p>"Same here! I'm pooped!" Sonic groaned as he swung his arms around several times. "Man, I'm totally screwed if I'm picked for the third Brawl. First the sleep deprivation and now this…" Then he turned to the Mii and held out his hand. "By the way, the name's Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog."</p><p>"I'm Alexis. I live in Smashville and work as a tour guide, so there's a possibility that you've seen me around." Alexis grasped Sonic's hand and shook it. "I've heard lots of stories about you, but it's really nice to finally meet the fastest thing alive in person!"</p><p>"Yeah, I know you," said Sonic, blushing at the Mii's comment. "I saw you a few days ago giving a tour to a bunch of guys from my world. But I'm pretty sure you didn't have that arm cannon back then!" he added, giving the silver-colored weapon on Alexis' right arm a nervous glance.</p><p>Alexis chuckled. "It's a situational thing."</p><p>"What do you mean by that?"</p><p>"So…how do I word this…?" She coughed and cleared her throat. "Er…it's not every day that two Smashers and a couple of weird mice decide to go to Animal Crossing through one of the Transport Gates and have a fight there. I hope they didn't scare any of the Villagers to death. And speaking of which—" The Mii looked around the room and found a clock on the wall. Her mouth opened slightly when she saw that it read 12:20 PM. "Uh-oh!" she exclaimed. "My next shift is in ten minutes!" She quickly shook Sonic's hand again. "It was nice meeting and chatting with you. I gotta run now. Can't keep my next batch of tourists waiting!" She rushed out of the room.</p><p>Sonic grinned before looking around himself. He was now alone in the living room with two unconscious Smashers. He sighed, wondering what to do with them.</p><p>"Gosh, this mansion is such a maze! Where the heck is the door?!"</p><p>The hedgehog burst into laughter when he heard Alexis' panicked voice. He exited the living room and, upon finding the Mii frantically wandering around in one of the halls, led her to the mansion's entrance, where she said another hasty goodbye before dashing down the hill and toward Smashville Plaza.</p><p>In the meantime, Captain Falcon had just woken up in his room. He was feeling very groggy—no doubt it had something to do with the seven cups of coffee he had last night—and for what it was worth, he had won the coffee-drinking contest that Samurai Goroh had challenged him to. He took several seconds to blearily rub his eyes before looking at the clock on his nightstand.</p><p>"Dammit," he muttered when he saw the time. He was quite surprised that he had overslept by this much without Master Hand personally coming up to drag him out of bed. He had never seen or heard of Master Hand doing that before, but he had a suspicious feeling that the intimidating hand was willing to go that far. He gave a mighty yawn and glared upward.</p><p>"I solemnly swear," he declared to the ceiling, "that I will never take part in Goroh's stupid antics ever again."</p><p>He was in and out of the bathroom in five minutes and dressed in his F-Zero racing suit in two. He glanced around his room one more time to see if he had left anything behind before heading out with his helmet tucked under his arm. He could grab lunch and make it to the third Brawl if he hurried. His stomach rumbled as he pressed the down button next to an elevator and waited impatiently for one of the three platforms to arrive. Once one did, he stepped into it and pressed the button for the first floor.</p><p>"Well, good afternoon, Captain Falcon!" Peach greeted the F-Zero pilot when he walked out of the elevator and into the mansion's foyer. "Where have you been all this morning?"</p><p>"Recovering," replied Captain Falcon, brushing past her. "I hope you'll never experience what it's like to be on seven cups of coffee at night."</p><p>"Oh…of course!" said the princess with a short laugh, not understanding what the pilot meant. "I'll…keep that in mind. Anyway, I'll see you soon in the Brawl Room! Be sure to be on a full stomach before then. We don't want anybody fainting from hunger, do we?" She waved goodbye to him before going in the other direction, cheerfully humming to herself.</p><p>In spite of his sour mood, Captain Falcon smiled. <em>Aw, Peach,</em> he thought gratefully. <em>There's no way that gal can't instantly brighten up your day. All right…</em> He reached the dining hall, where there was still a handful of Smashers and other mansion residents. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief when Samurai Goroh was nowhere to be found—at the moment, the katana-wielding pilot was the last person he wanted to see.</p><p><em>"Attention, Super Smash Brothers!"</em> Master Hand's telepathic voice boomed through everybody's heads. <em>"You have exactly thirty minutes until the next Brawl. Latecomers will face dire consequences!"</em></p><p>At the table nearest to Captain Falcon, Wario elbowed Bowser. "That guy needs to chill," he muttered. "Lemme take my sweet time with my lunch. Ain't gonna kill anyone if a guy is late."</p><p>The Koopa king didn't respond and was instead eyeing the hamburger on the plate before him with some contempt. "They never cook the meat well enough," he complained as he carefully lifted the top half of the bun to reveal the brown-colored patty within. "I want to see more scorch marks!"</p><p>Wario glanced at the meat. "Already looks plenty scorched to me—"</p><p>"Your opinion isn't <em>relevant</em>!" With the last word, Bowser pounded his fists on the table, launching his hamburger high into the air. While the hamburger was still airborne, he let out a small but intense blast of fire at it to thoroughly cook it, patty and buns and all. Then he let gravity do its work and snapped up the hamburger in one bite the moment it came within reach. "Now <em>that's</em> what I call an improvement!" he declared, grinning smugly.</p><p>Captain Falcon approached the table. "I dunno about you, but I'd call that a job <em>well done</em>," he said.</p><p>"Aww, get outta here with your dad jokes—" Bowser turned around. "Whoa! Falcon! You're alive! Where've you been all this morning?"</p><p>"Oh, c'mon. Peach already asked that and I don't feel like explaining again."</p><p>"Yeah, well, I bet it only took one word to answer that question when <em>she</em> asked it." Bowser poked at Captain Falcon with a knowing smirk. "I'm right, right?"</p><p>"Can it, spiky." Captain Falcon swatted the Koopa's massive hand away from himself. "So…what did I miss?"</p><p>"Eh, nothing much," said Wario sarcastically. "All that happened was a couple o' Brawls. No biggie! Why dontcha just go back to your room and take a fat nap? It's not like you're guaranteed to be picked or somethin'!"</p><p>Captain Falcon rolled his eyes. "Unlike <em>some</em> people, I'm actually pretty damn responsible," he replied.</p><p>"Says the guy who slept through the first two Brawls of the week," quipped Bowser with a sly grin. "Imagine all the things Master Hand would have to say!"</p><p>"I'd rather not," said Captain Falcon, rolling his eyes again. "I need to grab some food. Are there any burgers left?"</p><p>"Eh, I wouldn't bet on it," said Wario, elbowing Bowser. "Bowser here was eating a lot of 'em. That burger you saw just now was probably his eighth one."</p><p>"Seventh," Bowser corrected him.</p><p>Wario's empty plate nearly went flying when the treasure hunter threw his hands into the air in exasperation. "Seven, eight, thirty-one—whatever! There ain't a difference. All I'm trying to say is you ate <em>a lot</em>!"</p><p>Captain Falcon sighed quietly, seeing that neither Smasher was going to be helpful. Leaving Bowser and Wario to their bickering, he went to the food counters to see for himself if there was at least one hamburger there. <em>Jackpot,</em> the F-Zero pilot thought with a grin when he saw not one, but two hamburgers sitting on a platter. He grabbed them before Bowser possibly could, squirted a load of mustard into each one, and quickly scarfed them down, enjoying the sharp, strong, and savory flavors.</p><p>Half an hour later, the Smashers were back in the Brawl Room. Even Wario was there, despite his earlier words. Captain Falcon was skulking toward the back, hoping that people would assume he had been there this whole time. Master Hand hovered before the crowd, surveying the room.</p><p><em>"Welcome back, everybody,"</em> he said warmly. <em>"I hope you all had a good lunch. We are about to proceed with the third and final Brawl of the day…but it appears that several Smashers are absent."</em></p><p>As the Smashers glanced around and murmured to each other in confusion, Sonic raised his hand tentatively. "So, uh, two of those guys—"</p><p><em>"Oh, I am aware,"</em> Master Hand cut in. <em>"Kirby and King Dedede are currently…recovering in the living room."</em> In an amused tone, he said, <em>"I was actually going to send the two of them out on a mission, but…"</em> He raised two of his fingers as though he were shrugging. <em>"…I think they did what needed to be done."</em></p><p>Sonic was mystified, but he didn't question it any further.</p><p><em>"Snake and Lucario are in the medical room, where Mario is treating them,"</em> continued Master Hand, <em>"and Fox and Wolf are… Well, it would be better to leave them be for now. Pikachu and Jigglypuff, however—"</em></p><p>"Weeee're…heeeeere!"</p><p>The Mouse Pokémon and the Balloon Pokémon tumbled through the doorway and skidded to a stop. "Sorry…we're late!" apologized Pikachu between gasps for air. "It was…Crazy Hand's fault—"</p><p>"And this weird Pokémon," interrupted Jigglypuff, "dragged us off…to the Fellwood…"</p><p>"Oh! We also…found these shoes—"</p><p>In one corner of the room, Ness gave a start. "Hey!" he exclaimed, pointing at the pair of red sneakers in the Pikachu's paws. "Those are mine!" Glancing quizzically at Lucas, he continued, "But I thought I had—"</p><p><em>"</em>Please<em>, everybody!"</em> said Master Hand impatiently. <em>"We are falling behind schedule! When do you plan on beginning your afternoon recess?"</em></p><p>"Sorry—"</p><p><em>"Hush, Pikachu! If we continue chatting for any longer, it will be evening by the time we get started with the third Brawl. You may tell me your story </em>after<em> all of today's events have transpired and concluded. Now then! Everyone, please direct your attention to the screen."</em></p><p>The television screen behind Master Hand flashed on, and the three displayed lists began to scroll. Pikachu and Jigglypuff quietly shuffled over to Ness and handed him his red sneakers, which were still sopping wet. Ness mouthed his thanks to the two Pokémon, who bashfully smiled back. Lucas peeked at the shoes and shuddered when he remembered what had happened last night. Meanwhile, Master Hand moved aside to give the Smashers a clear view of the screen. Two of the lists stopped on the photos of two Smashers.</p><p>
  <em>"Yoshi and R.O.B. shall have a Brawl on…"</em>
</p><p>The third list, which contained the stages, continued to scroll. Master Hand chuckled a little and said, <em>"Ah, it looks like the Brawl System has a surprise for us today."</em></p><p>The list eventually came to a stop on an unfamiliar image. It depicted a blue and red train rolling through a grassy plain; the train was being operated by a blond-haired boy wearing a blue train engineer's outfit and a red cap.</p><p>Toon Link gasped sharply. "Hey, that person looks a lot like—"</p><p>Master Hand whirled toward him and flicked his fingers in his direction. The cartoon Hylian suddenly stumbled backward as though he had been shoved by an unseen force, and he landed on Mr. Game Watch's feet. While he stammered an apology to the two-dimensional Smasher, Master Hand pointed at the picture of the train. <em>"Yes! This is indeed what you think it is: our first new stage! Yoshi and R.O.B. have the privilege of being the first Smashers to see what it is like. This particular stage,"</em> he said with a flourish, <em>"is called Spirit Train. The conductor is—oh, you shall see. Yoshi and R.O.B., please come forward."</em></p><p>The green dinosaur and the robot did so. <em>"The rules are slightly different this time,"</em> Master Hand told them. <em>"All items, including the Smash Ball, will be turned off. This will allow you to fully experience the new stage's attributes. As usual, Smasher will have two lives. Lives are lost by traveling past any of the blast lines above, below, to the left, and to the right of the stage. The last Smasher to remain on the stage wins the Brawl. Does either of you have any questions?"</em></p><p>"Nope," said Yoshi confidently at the same time as R.O.B. shook his head.</p><p>"B-but <em>I</em> do!" The Smashers turned to see Olimar jumping up and down and waving from the back of the room. "Does this new stage have any stage hazards?"</p><p>Master Hand laughed. <em>"You shall see soon enough,"</em> he replied, and with a snap of his fingers, Yoshi and R.O.B. vanished from the Brawl Room.</p>
<hr/><p>As Falco had expected, Meta Knight was already hard at work in the Smash Mansion's hangar.</p><p>"And he's right back at it!" the avian Smasher said when he saw a small, dark figure flitting around in the looming shadow of the Battleship Halberd. "How's the weather up there, Meta? Need me for anything?"</p><p>Meta Knight flew down from the Halberd's bridge to join Falco on the ground. His usually immaculate white gloves were once more smeared with blackish grease. "The weather could be better," he said a little sarcastically. "It smells of oil all around. And yes, some help would be nice. Blade Knight, Sword Knight, and I are still working on the Combo Cannon. How much progress did you and Fox make with the control room?"</p><p>"Ahhh…it's getting there." Falco shrugged sheepishly. "But hey, this ship was completely obliterated only about three months ago, so it'll definitely take some time to bring everything back to working order."</p><p>Meta Knight sighed. "So it will."</p><p>The two Smashers sensed that there was nothing more to be said at the moment, so they returned their attention to the Halberd. Meta Knight spread his wings and went off in the direction of the bridge, while Falco climbed the scaffolding that held up the Halberd's fragmented walls. He stepped onto the main deck when he reached it and peered over the edge, lost in thought.</p><p>The Battleship Halberd seemed to have a history of getting destroyed during all the important missions it was taken out on. If it wasn't Kirby sending it down in flames, it was some other party—most recently, this honor went to the Subspace Army. Meta Knight had a bad habit of underestimating the forces that the Halberd went up against.</p><p><em>Let's not send this baby flying at another Subspace Gunship, shall we?</em> thought Falco, grinning inwardly.</p><p>None of the Smashers—save for Bowser and Ganondorf, perhaps, but neither one wanted to talk about their times as Tabuu's underlings—had any idea of when the Subspace Army could have begun construction on the Subspace Gunship. Falco didn't want to think about it when he first lay his eyes on it. Already having been impressed by the size of the Great Fox and then having his mind blown by that of the Halberd, he couldn't imagine there being any larger man-made construct. But there it was: the Subspace Gunship, a monstrous weapon made of an unfamiliar, steely-gray metal, its length comparable to that of the Isle of the Ancients itself. It boasted of a multitude of energy cannons, but its trump card was its main cannon, which comprised the entire front half of the vessel and could fire energy blasts that could tear the very fabric of space asunder. It later came as no surprise that the Halberd had been blown apart so quickly.</p><p>But it was as the old adage went: "the bigger they come, the harder they fall." All it took to give the Gunship a taste of its own medicine was a good distraction and a single, precise strike of a Dragoon. The damage had already been done, though, and the Halberd lay in pieces once more. But Meta Knight wasn't even mad—at least his ship had done its job. Now all he had to do was rebuild the damn thing…<em>again</em>. He had done this so many times that he didn't even need to refer to the blueprints anymore.</p><p>"Falco, are you coming?"</p><p>The avian Smasher gave a start. "Oh, my bad," he apologized to Meta Knight, who was standing beside him. "Got distracted by this gorgeous view of the hangar. What did you want me to do again?"</p><p>"To be quite honest, I didn't have anything specific in mind," admitted the small knight. "Although…" He turned to look at the charred and rusted remains of the Combo Cannon that lay behind him and Falco; Blade Knight and Sword Knight, ever the diligent ones, were tirelessly working on it. "Would you like to help me with the Cannon? Or will you give the bridge another go?"</p><p>"…I think I'll tackle the bridge again," said Falco after a brief pause. "Two birds with one stone, yada yada."</p><p>Meta Knight made a sound of approval. "Thank you for your help. Come find me if you run into any problems." He left to join his knights in repairing the Combo Cannon.</p><p>Currently, the Halberd mainly consisted of two halves. A well-aimed shot from one of the Subspace Gunship's cannons had pierced Meta Knight's airship from bow to stern, destroying most of the interior and causing the hull to split into two. Both halves had to be supported by metal frames and multiple layers of metal and wooden scaffolding lest they fall apart. Skeletons of the ship's six wings lay on the ground on either side of the ship, waiting to be reconstructed and for their purple-colored canvases to be refitted.</p><p>"What a mess!" Falco muttered as he surveyed the scene. He was standing on what remained of the main deck on the Halberd's stern-side portion; a few yards away was the bow-side portion. From his position, he could see the part of the deck that had served as the battlefield in the fight with the twin-bodied robot Duon, one of the Subspace Army's machines. The once pristine wood was now littered with large splinters, debris from other parts of the ship, and scars of the battles the Halberd had gone through during the Subspace Incident. He could even see the scorch marks left by Fox's Arwing's laser cannons. He walked toward the bridge, groaning at the thought of how much work had to be done. "Well…this ship isn't gonna fix itself. With all the damage that's been done, I'm impressed that thing is still standing…"</p><p>Falco eventually reached the bridge and carefully climbed the scaffolding that surrounded the structure, making his way to the command station within. The tools that he and Fox had used to repair the Halberd's navigation controls were in the same places as they had left them. With a grunt, he bent down and picked up the wrench he had been using earlier to fix one of the levers.</p><p>"Fox…wherever you ran off to, I hope you're doing okay."</p><p>He went to work.</p>
<hr/><p>Red and white segments of metal and plastic fell from the sky to assemble R.O.B., who blinked a few times at the bright light. At the same time, Yoshi burst out of a white-colored egg with green spots. He stretched his arms toward the sky and looked behind himself.</p><p><em>"WAHHHHH!"</em> he screamed.</p><p>The two Smashers were being carried forward by a fast-moving train. Both of them had spawned in rather unconventional areas: R.O.B. was standing on the roof of the locomotive and getting smoke and ash blown into his face, while Yoshi was left out in the open on the rear carriage, which was attached to the back of what looked like a fairly small passenger car. The wind threatened to carry the dinosaur away, but he was determined to not let that happen until after he had beaten R.O.B. in the Brawl.</p><p>"Full steam ahead!" somebody cried.</p><p>R.O.B. and Yoshi were startled—neither of them had been expecting such a familiar voice to be heard here. Simultaneously, they turned their heads toward the locomotive that was pulling the two carriages, only to find none other than…</p><p>"Toon Link?!" R.O.B. blurted out. "What are you doing here?"</p><p>The cartoon Hylian grinned and waved at the robot. Rather than his green tunic and cap, he was wearing a blue train engineer's outfit and a red cap. "Hey, you guys!" he shouted over the roar of the wind. "Guess what? It turns out that the engineer we saw in the photo of this stage really <em>was</em> me! Or rather, one of my distant descendants<a href="#spirittracks" id="spirittracksback" name="spirittracksback"><sup>4</sup></a> or something…" He shook his head. "Eh, it doesn't matter. Anyway, welcome aboard the Spirit Train!"</p><p>The locomotive of the Spirit Train whistled loudly, and its smokestack flung another whitish cloud into R.O.B.'s face. He waved it away, feeling a little annoyed. "Is it possible for you, Toon Link, as this train's engineer, to stop…" He gestured toward the smokestack. "…<em>this</em>?"</p><p>"Sorry, R.O.B., but I think all trains do that," said Toon Link apologetically. "And even if there was a way, I wouldn't know it because I've never engineered a train before."</p><p>"Ah, that's too b—wait, did you just say you've <em>never</em>—?"</p><p>At that moment, Master Hand's voice thundered through the air. <em>"STOP LOITERING AROUND!"</em> he barked. <em>"We have a Brawl to do! Here comes the countdown! Three! Two! One!"</em></p><p>Toon Link returned his attention to the Spirit Train's controls, but not before cheering, "Do your best, you two!"</p><p>
  <em>"GO!"</em>
</p><p>A brief orchestral introduction played before quickly transitioning to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhpQXAJ7tEY">'a whimsical tune'</a> played by an unusual combination of an ocarina, banjo, and orchestra. R.O.B. made the first move: he left his starting position on the locomotive and landed inside the passenger car. He wasn't about to let any more smoke obscure his vision. Yoshi began to go after the robot, but the sight of Toon Link at the locomotive's controls had him a little concerned.</p><p>
  <em>…If he's never engineered a train before…then how is he allowed to—</em>
</p><p>A red-colored laser beam shot forward and dealt 7% damage, causing him to squeal in pain. "Pay attention to the battle!" called R.O.B. tauntingly from the passenger car. The LED on his head was glowing weakly, indicating that he had just used Robo Beam.</p><p>Yoshi glowered angrily at the robot. "Oh yeah?" he replied. "Well, pay attention to <em>this</em>!" An egg materialized in his waiting hand, and he flung it at R.O.B. The egg collided with the dinosaur's adversary and exploded upon contact, dealing 9% damage. "Ha! How'd <em>that</em> feel, huh?"</p><p>"To be brief, not great." R.O.B. dashed toward Yoshi, his arms spinning like a rotor. Yoshi sprang high over him and alighted on the roof of the Spirit Train's passenger car, from which he tossed another egg that hit R.O.B. The frustrated robot activated his Robo Burners and flew toward Yoshi.</p><p>"Not letting you do that! <em>Yoshi Bomb!</em>" The dinosaur hopped into the air and plummeted right on top of R.O.B., knocking him back by several feet. While the robot was tumbling through the air, Yoshi ran off the passenger car's roof, sprinted to the end of the rear carriage, and turned back around. The moment R.O.B. had fallen within reach, Yoshi stuck out his long tongue, snagging the robot…and dragged him into his open mouth. He swallowed the rather furious R.O.B. and, being a Yoshi, quickly laid an egg. Like all of his eggs, this one was white with green spots, but it was significantly larger than the eggs he had thrown at R.O.B. In fact, it was about his size—or, to be more accurate, R.O.B.'s size.</p><p>The egg, within which the robot was hopelessly trapped, rolled off the edge of the rear carriage and onto the tracks below. The fast-moving train rapidly chugged away from him before he could escape from Yoshi's egg. A streak of pink light indicated that the blast line on the right side of the stage had swept past R.O.B. and caused him to lose his first life.</p><p>Yoshi stared down at the tracks. "Oh," he said with raised brows, "that actually worked?"</p><p><em>CLANG!</em> Something hard and metallic slammed into the back of his head, throwing him off balance…and right on top of the tracks that he had just been looking at. In an instant, he, too, had been left behind by the Spirit Train and engulfed by a bluish explosion.</p><p>R.O.B. tilted his head. "Oh," he said, "that actually worked?"</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>"Wait, he really went for that low of a blow?!"</em>
</p><p>"Yeah, Peppy, you heard me," replied Fox without looking up. "Word for word."</p><p>The green-tinted image of the aging rabbit named Peppy Hare put his hand over his eyes. <em>"I was optimistic about this,"</em> he said sadly, shaking his head. <em>"I thought Wolf had changed his ways. Otherwise, I don't think your master would've let him stay with you guys for this long. But I guess some things just never change, huh?"</em></p><p>"He said everyone deserves a second chance…"</p><p>
  <em>"Second chances sometimes aren't enough, my boy. You can give them even more chances and still nothing might change. It's just like that every now and then. Reality usually sucks."</em>
</p><p>The vulpine slowly exhaled. It was oddly loud within the small space of his Arwing's cockpit, where the only other sound that accompanied him was the soft hum of the dashboard. He sat there in silence, deep in thought. He could hear Falco some distance away whacking at another piece of the Halberd's broken machinery with a wrench. Peppy stared off into the distance for a few seconds before speaking again.</p><p>
  <em>"So…how're you doing?"</em>
</p><p>Fox sighed again. "…A little better, I think."</p><p>The rabbit smiled. <em>"Good! Venting helps. I should know. I've done my share before. Likely not done with it, too."</em> His expression then turned somber. <em>"Your father was a good man. I owe him a lot. Actually, I'd say I owe him my life—the fact that I'm still standing here says it all."</em></p><p>"He saved you, didn't he?"</p><p>
  <em>"Yeah. It was a bad time is all I'm going to say."</em>
</p><p>"No need to go into the details if you're not comfortable, Peppy."</p><p><em>"Nah, well, it's just—"</em> Peppy stopped, his mouth still open. His eyes looked somewhat vacant. <em>"…Hey, Fox. </em><em>You ever wonder how people become so evil in the first place? What led Andross to become what he became? To the point where you couldn't even recognize him anymore?"</em></p><p>Fox chuckled. "Now you're entering deep waters."</p><p>
  <em>"Heh, so I am. It's just something I've thought about over the years, especially after my team's final mission."</em>
</p><p>"Yeah, I get it. It's a good thing to think about. It's funny how some of the most successful people eventually turn up to be some of the most terrible…which is why I sometimes wonder why Wolf is like that. Do you think he was good back then?"</p><p><em>"Oho, we can get </em>really<em> philosophical about this,"</em> said Peppy, shrugging. <em>"Where do we draw the line between good and bad? </em><em>And regardless of all that,"</em> he continued in a brusque tone, <em>"all I gotta say is that no matter what his upbringing was like, Wolf has absolutely no idea of how great a guy James was. He was a hero. He deserves better. That mangy mutt can insult anyone else all he wants, but the moment he says anything remotely disrespectful about good ol' Jimmy, I'll personally fly over to your place and punch him so hard that he lands on Corneria!"</em></p><p>"Why Corneria?"</p><p>
  <em>"So I can fly home and punch him again, of course!"</em>
</p><p>Fox laughed loudly at this. Peppy was the oldest member of Star Fox—in fact, he had been on the original team that his late father, James McCloud, had founded—but he had the energy of someone at least half his age. While Fox was very close with all the members, he found the rabbit to be the most endearing, despite his occasional "Get off my lawn!" attitude. Besides being an invaluable teammate, Peppy was the father figure that Fox had been missing during his adolescent years. He couldn't have asked for anyone better.</p><p>And as for Wolf…</p><p><em>I've never met anyone more conflicting than him!</em> thought Fox with a soft grunt. <em>What's his end goal, anyway? Is he really an ally of mine now? Or does he want to see me off like he did with my dad?</em></p><p>There wasn't much known about the lupine's past, apart from that he might have been the leader of at least one space pirate gang, and that he had likely played a role in James McCloud's death. James had led the original Star Fox, the main source of the evil Andross' ire, so it couldn't have been long before the simian scientist had decided to simply get rid of the team. Since Wolf was one of the most ruthless mercenaries in the entire Lylat System, it didn't come as a surprise to anyone, including Fox, when word spread that Andross had hired him to do the job. Fox remembered seeing the ghost of his father and the Arwing he had been shot down in<a href="#jamesghost" id="jamesghostback" name="jamesghostback"><sup>5</sup></a>. Still, he was unsure of this rumor—if Wolf had willingly murdered one of the most prominent pilots in the Lylat System, why was he getting along with Fox so well nowadays? Sure, they had their occasional quarrels—including the one Fox was currently recovering from—but they could still be considered friendly rivals.</p><p>In other words, Wolf continued to make Fox feel horribly uneasy. But he knew only he could ask Wolf if the rumors were true, for deep in his heart, he believed James was still alive…just lost in space or something.</p><p>"Peppy…I—"</p><p>Something crackled, disturbing the peace within the Arwing. Fox's ears twitched slightly at the new sound, and the Smasher waited for more. When nothing came, he relaxed and returned his attention to the video of Peppy.</p><p>"Peppy," he started again, "this is gonna sound a bit sappy, but…" The rabbit snickered, and so did he to himself. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm so glad to be good friends with you. You're amazing at making my day so much better in so little time. You're like—"</p><p>There was another crackle; this time, it was accompanied by the high-pitched whine of conflicting radio frequencies. Fox's expression turned sour.</p><p>
  <em>"—is—d—"</em>
</p><p>He blinked.</p><p>
  <em>"—ange situ—eed some gui—one tell m—"</em>
</p><p>Peppy tilted his head. <em>"Say, Fox,"</em> he said in a puzzled tone, <em>"is there somethin' else on your mind?"</em></p><p>"Oh…well, it's nothing important, I guess." Fox shrugged. "I'm picking up a radio transmission from someone who isn't on my—"</p><p>A new video screen appeared on the HUD of the dashboard, pushing Peppy's off to the side. Greenish static filled the screen and was accompanied by white noise that spluttered every few seconds. Where there would be the name of the contact, it instead simply read <em>INTERRUPTION</em>.</p><p>"…contacts list," the vulpine finally finished.</p><p>
  <em>"All right, so how—"</em>
</p><p>The foreign transmission emitted another series of bursts of noise, cutting Peppy off. The blurry profile of some creature with pointed ears flickered on the screen, distorted by the static. Then a voice, slightly breaking up due to the radio interference, came through.</p><p>Fox's heart skipped a beat and his fur stood on end. He recognized the voice.</p><p>
  <em>"He—llo? Can anyb—ody hear me? This is—James McCloud."</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>"This stage…is <em>terrible</em>!" howled Yoshi as he stepped off the revival platform. "Why do we lose stocks if we so much as <em>touch</em> the tracks?!"</p><p>"I mean, we <em>are</em> on a very fast train," replied R.O.B. matter-of-factly. "And this isn't much different from the Big Blue stage…so neither of us really has an excuse for being careless."</p><p>"Sure, they're kind of similar, but this one just feels so much…<em>worse!</em>" Yoshi charged forward and attempted to slam into R.O.B. with a powerful headbutt, only for the robot to lean backward and dodge it. The dinosaur skidded to a halt behind his opponent and whacked at him with his tail, scoring a few hits. "What kind of train moves this fast, anyway? It's not like we're running away from something! Toon, can't you slow this thing down?"</p><p>"Master Hand will never give me that kind of privilege!" yelled Toon Link indignantly as he glanced away from the Spirit Train's control panel to scowl at Yoshi. "<em>He</em> made this stage, after all. Unless something really crazy happens, there's no chance of persuading him to…" His voice slowly trailed away as he looked past Yoshi and R.O.B., his eyes widening in shock. "…What's <em>that</em>?!"</p><p>The dinosaur and the robot looked at each other in confusion before turning around…and lay their eyes on the most demonic train that they had ever seen. Red-hot flames poured out of its eye-like headlights, and thick, black smoke billowed from its smokestack, obscuring the air behind it.</p><p>"Oh, this must be one of the stage hazards," R.O.B. said calmly.</p><p><em>"WAHHHHHH!"</em> Yoshi shrieked hysterically.</p><p>The demonic train chugged toward the Spirit Train, letting out ominous hisses of steam, and the two Smashers scrambled over each other to get away. R.O.B. quickly swiveled his head around and sent a Robo Beam at the train, but upon seeing the laser make no visible effect, he turned back and raced after Yoshi.</p><p><em>"Ah,"</em> Master Hand's voice echoed in the Smashers' heads. He sounded like he was excited for something. <em>"Say hello to the Dark Train."</em></p><p>Yoshi stopped running and exclaimed while rolling his eyes, "Ohhhh, <em>gee</em>, I wonder why it's called a Dark Train. I'll bet it's totally not because it's evil and dark-colored!"</p><p>R.O.B. caught up with him and punched him in the snout. "Looks like we're running away from something now. You just had to go and say it."</p><p>"Hey, dialogue has no impact whatsoever on Brawls!" retorted Yoshi, and he kicked the robot twice to knock him onto the floor of the passenger car. While R.O.B. struggled to recover from his fall, Yoshi leaped up and plummeted back down with Yoshi Bomb, dealing 15% damage to him. R.O.B., making irritated beeping sounds, righted himself and rapidly spun his upper body like a tornado, striking Yoshi with his arms for 6% damage.</p><p>Toon Link carefully watched the demon-like train that followed the Spirit Train. "Don't ask me why, but something tells me that train can do some really funny stuff."</p><p>Yoshi and R.O.B. were grappling with each other. "Like <em>what</em>?!" they both demanded impatiently between punches, kicks, egg bombs, and lasers.</p><p>"Oh, maybe like—"</p><p>The Dark Train behind the Spirit Train angrily released a cloud of smoke and steam…and leaped high into the sky, eventually disappearing from sight. Yoshi and R.O.B. stopped kicking and punching one another to glance around in puzzlement, trying to predict where the train would show up next. Then they heard a high-pitched whistle from somewhere above them. Together, they looked up, seeing nothing but the ceiling of the passenger car—</p><p><em>KABOOM!</em> The Dark Train landed right on top of the passenger car and fell through it, and it blew up with the force of what felt like several tons of TNT. Yoshi and R.O.B., both screaming, sailed through the air faster than a jet, along with the charred remains of the passenger car. Upon seeing two colorful explosions, one pinkish and the other bluish, Toon Link sighed wearily and pushed up his red cap. "Like that."</p><p>Master Hand ended the Brawl with his usual declaration of <em>"GAME!"</em> and the cartoon Hylian felt his feet lift from the floor of the Spirit Train's locomotive. The stage quickly became enveloped in white, and for a moment he was unable to see any of his surroundings. He rubbed his eyes and blinked twice. Upon the second blink, he was back in the Brawl Room, his feet planted firmly on the room's carpet floor. His engineer's outfit had mysteriously transformed back into his usual attire of a green tunic and pointed cap. Yoshi and R.O.B. had returned as well; both of them were sitting on the floor and looking around in a daze.</p><p>"…Whoa… Wh…what happened…?" asked Yoshi with a groan. He spoke unsteadily as if he were suffering from vertigo, and to be fair, he probably was.</p><p>Diddy Kong decided to answer for him. "You guys just went through the shortest Brawl <em>ever</em>!"</p><p>"Yeah, he's right," Donkey Kong agreed. "None of us even had time to leave the room like some of us usually do."</p><p>"You fought for a grand total of…four minutes, maybe?" said Mr. Game Watch, who then laughed loudly.</p><p>R.O.B. got off the floor and helped Yoshi up. "A short Brawl is still a Brawl, yes?"</p><p>"Ha…" The two-dimensional Smasher's laughter faded, but he was still smiling. "I guess you're right."</p><p>Pit suddenly remembered something. "Hey!" he exclaimed. "But who won the Brawl?"</p><p><em>"Ah, yes."</em> Several Smashers, having forgotten that Master Hand had been in the Brawl Room with them all this time, were startled by the telepathic voice. <em>"It was a very close match,"</em> the hand said as he approached Yoshi and R.O.B.<em> "So close, in fact, that the winner would have lost if the angle at which he had flown toward the upper blast line had been just three degrees more vertical. And the winner is…"</em> He suddenly pointed at Yoshi. <em>"…you."</em></p><p>The dinosaur gawked at him. "Really?" he asked in disbelief. "Everything was moving so fast… Are you s—"</p><p>Luigi ran up to him and not-so-subtly elbowed him. "<em>Shhh!</em> Did you want to win or not?"</p><p>At this, Yoshi quickly stopped what he was saying. "Uhhh, I mean—" He struck a proud pose and gave Master Hand a wide grin. "<em>Yosh!</em> I feel great!" Then he blew a noisy raspberry at R.O.B. "Ha! In your <em>face</em>!"</p><p>"You're such a child," the robot replied with an exasperated sigh. "But congratulations are in order." He offered his hand, which Yoshi accepted and shook vigorously. The other Smashers in the room gave him a round of polite applause.</p><p>Master Hand was satisfied. <em>"Excellent!"</em> he said. <em>"Now that the third and last Brawl has concluded, you are all—"</em></p><p>"MASTER…HAAAAAND!"</p><p>Mario suddenly burst into the Brawl Room, all out of breath. The normally clean white fabric of his lab coat had been dirtied by some stains of various colors. Similarly, his hair was somewhat disheveled. "W…wait," he panted, holding up a hand to stop Master Hand from speaking. "Master Hand…I need you…to come with me…right away!"</p><p><em>"Why, Dr. Mario!"</em> the hand said, sounding a little bewildered. <em>"What is the matter?"</em></p><p>Mario took a few seconds to recover from his jog from the medical room to the Brawl Room. "No time to explain! But…" He put a hand to his chin. "…Can I borrow your office? I need to tell you something." In a low voice, he murmured, "In private."</p><p><em>"Ahhh…?"</em> Master Hand looked at the other Smashers, who looked just as clueless as he was. <em>"Well, er…you are all dismissed! Dinner is at 6:30 PM. Please try to stay out of trouble until then."</em> While they muttered to each other and shuffled out of the room, the hand turned back to Mario.<em> "All right, doctor,"</em> he said. <em>"To my office, and quickly. Your tone is concerning me."</em></p><p>"Oh, yeah, I <em>am</em> kinda worried," said Mario as he dashed back out of the Brawl Room with Master Hand flying right behind him.</p><p>
  <em>"This has something to do with our patient in the medical room, am I correct?"</em>
</p><p>"You've hit it…right on the nose!"</p><p>They reached the stairs. Mario jogged upward two steps at a time, beginning to feel exhausted again. Either the stuff he wore as a doctor was weighing him down, or he was seriously out of shape…which, given that he was a Smasher, should definitely not be happening.</p><p>"Oh…we're here!" he cried in relief when he and Master Hand reached a large door made of mahogany. The door had a silver-colored nameplate with <em>MASTER HAND</em> engraved on it in a simple font. Master Hand flicked a finger at the door, which immediately swung open to reveal the surprisingly large space inside. Besides a bookshelf filled with books without titles on their bindings, a metal cabinet with five layers of drawers, and a small, black, cone-shaped device on the floor, there wasn't much in the room. Master Hand flew into his office and telepathically drew the slate gray curtains over each of the three windows on the opposite end of the room. The moment Mario stepped inside, the door slammed shut on its own, making him yelp.</p><p><em>"All right."</em> Master Hand spun around to face Mario. <em>"Please feel free to take a moment to breathe. I would rather not have to send the Smash Mansion's own doctor to the town hospital for treatment."</em></p><p>Mario nervously chuckled at this. "…Heh…that's right…" He took a deep breath and gained a serious expression. "…Okay. Are we the only ones here?"</p><p>
  <em>"Yes. Why?"</em>
</p><p>"Okay, good. I'm just scared that the others will freak out if I told them what I'm about to tell you."</p><p>
  <em>"And that is…?"</em>
</p><p>Although the two of them were in the privacy of Master Hand's office, the doctor leaned toward him and his voice dropped to a whisper. "Lucario has been infected with some kind of virus. But I can't identify it."</p><p>Master Hand remained composed. <em>"…I see…"</em> he slowly replied.</p><p>"Yep. All I can find is that this virus seems to make him very powerful. So for all I know, the virus could be one of those beneficial types. But…it's still a <em>virus</em>! It could possibly have negative effects on the other residents in the mansion." Mario sighed and shrugged helplessly. "What do you think?"</p><p>The right hand was silent as he turned away from the doctor. It was difficult to read him, and it wasn't just because he was a hand. He had always been a mysterious character, one whose true intentions were never clear. Mario could hardly guess what could possibly be going through his mind. He was just grateful that he was on his and his friends' side—Master Hand certainly wasn't one to trifle with.</p><p>
  <em>"…Dr. Mario."</em>
</p><p>The doctor jumped. "Wh-wha—yes?" he answered. "What's up?"</p><p>Master Hand was facing the gray curtains, his fingers barely moving. <em>"Let me tell you about the Pokérus."</em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p><a id="businessmon" name="businessmon"></a>1. businessman Pokémon = businessmon. <a href="#businessmonback">Back</a></p><p><a id="bellchime" name="bellchime"></a>2. It's hard to describe music with words, but this little melody is what plays when you beat Classic Mode or All-Star Mode in <em>SSBB</em> and get a trophy of the Smasher you used or their Final Smash, respectively. <a href="#bellchimeback">Back</a></p><p><a id="drmario" name="drmario"></a>3. There's a theory that Dr. Mario is the third Mario brother, or that he is Mario from an alternate dimension…but based on his trophy description in <em>SSB4</em>, I believe he's the same person as Mario. However, he'll be referred to as a plumber when he's wearing his usual red outfit, and as a doctor when he's wearing his lab coat. <a href="#drmarioback">Back</a></p><p><a id="spirittracks" name="spirittracks"></a>4. <em>The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks</em> takes place many years after <em>The Wind Waker</em>, making the Link in <em>Spirit Tracks</em> a descendant of the Link in <em>The Wind Waker</em>, who is commonly known as Toon Link. <a href="#spirittracksback">Back</a></p><p><a id="jamesghost" name="jamesghost"></a>5. James' ghost appears in <em>Star Fox 64</em>/<em>3D</em>, <em>Star Fox Command</em>, and <em>Star Fox Zero</em>. However, because <em>Command</em>'s canonicity is debatable and <em>Zero</em> is a reboot of the series, Fox might have seen James' ghost only once. <a href="#jamesghostback">Back</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. First Contact</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Falco discovers something shocking within the ruins of the Battleship Halberd, while Ness and Lucas meet some squids…or are they kids? Meanwhile, Snake receives a mysterious package, and Fox meets his long-lost dad! …Kind of.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The pitch-black room was completely silent and the air was still. The lights that had once hummed with electricity and illuminated this space had long since fizzled and died out. Then something in the darkness stirred.</p>
<hr/><p>"…Where…am I?" asked King Dedede groggily as he slowly regained consciousness. Everything seemed to be spinning before his bleary eyes, and there was an uncomfortable feeling on the back of his head. He reached back, rubbed at it, and immediately squawked in pain. "<em>Ow-ow-OW!</em>" he cried, now fully awake. "What gives? Who dare hit <em>me</em>, the great ruler of Dream Land, right on the noggin?!"</p><p>There was an incomprehensible mumble near him. He looked to his left to see a familiar pink puffball. <em>"Ughhh…"</em> Kirby groaned and yawned widely. His entire body ached. "…Why am I hurting all over?"</p><p>"You, too, huh," King Dedede remarked as he glanced around, eventually recognizing his surroundings as the Smash Mansion's living room. He and Kirby were sitting on the opposite ends of one of the sofas. "Wonder what happened to us. I haven't had a headache this big for a long time." He carefully felt the lump on the back of his head, wincing as he applied pressure to the wound. "Ooh. Ouch."</p><p>"I just wanna <em>sleeeeeep</em>," wailed Kirby in despair, much to King Dedede's amusement. "Everything hurts! It feels like I got set on fire!"</p><p>"Well, uh…if it helps, I feel like my head's about to split open," said King Dedede in a feeble attempt to make the pink puffball feel a little better. "But I want to take a nap, too. Let's head upstairs."</p><p>"Uwahhhh… I don't wanna move…"</p><p>The penguin king grimaced. "…Uh…I…guess I'll, uh…give you a lift. <em>Just this once!</em>" he said firmly when he saw Kirby's elated face, which quickly turned somber again. "I'm gonna charge a fee if you ask again, and it ain't gonna be cheap!"</p><p>"Meanie," said Kirby petulantly.</p><p>King Dedede sighed, but there was nothing else to say. Kirby was just a child, and it was nearly impossible to argue with children. Sliding off the sofa, the penguin took a moment to regain his balance before walking over to Kirby and scooping him up. The puffball was so exhausted that he hardly reacted to King Dedede gently tucking him under one arm. "I wonder how we got here, anyway," he mused, waddling to the archway that led to the hallway outside. "I don't think that place where we were fighting the Squeaks was in Smashville. It involved a Transport Gate, didn't it, Kirby? …Hey, Kirby?"</p><p>The puffball had fallen asleep and was quietly snoring. King Dedede chuckled softly. <em>Kirby really earned this break,</em> he thought. <em>We couldn't have done it without him…and his love for food, I guess?</em> As he lumbered down the hall and toward the foyer, he could hear the fuzzy voices of his fellow Smash Mansion residents echoing around the building, and he deduced that today's third and last Brawl had come to an end. Feeling the need to hear what was on his mind, he muttered, "Anyway, I wonder what's with those crazy Transport Gates…"</p><p>The three Transport Gates that surrounded Smashville Plaza were already there when Master Hand and Crazy Hand brought the Smashers to the town after they had defeated Tabuu and the Subspace Army. What each gate was made of was unknown—it was clear that the material was some kind of metal, but that was all that could be told. While Master Hand never explained the gates' construction, he knew how they functioned and instructed the Smashers on how to use them whenever they needed to travel to different worlds.</p><p>And on the topic of foreign constructions…</p><p>"Heck, the entire <em>town</em> was already here when we got here!" grumbled King Dedede upon entering the foyer, where he stopped to continue thinking aloud. "The buildings, everything in the plaza…even the whole Smash Mansion… Did Master Hand and Crazy Hand really make all of this themselves? What kind of power do they have?! <em>Arghhhhh…</em>"</p><p>The more he thought about it, the more he realized just how little he understood the circumstances of his new life in this strange world. And the more he thought about it, the worse his throbbing headache became. He shook his head, irritated. "I don't need just a nap… I also need some <em>ice</em>…"</p><p>"Who needs some ice?"</p><p>He stopped and looked down. Lucas was watching him with an inquisitive expression. "Also, why are you carrying Kirby like a basketball?" the boy asked.</p><p>King Dedede looked away, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "Th-that's unimportant!" he stammered. "Anyway, <em>I</em> need some ice! I gotta run to the kitchen—"</p><p>"Um, or you can just stay here and…" Lucas put his hands together and began to form a swirling ball of snow between them. He stopped when the ball was about the size of a grapefruit, and he offered it to the penguin king. "…let me give you this?"</p><p>"…Oh." King Dedede blinked a few times. "Right. I forgot you could do that. Well, thanks." He took the snowball from Lucas and gently applied it to the back of his head. "<em>Ooh.</em> Ouch."</p><p>Lucas wiped his wet, snow-covered hands off on his shorts. "What happened to you guys?" he asked concernedly.</p><p>"I'll just keep things short and say we got into a scrap with some…old friends," answered King Dedede cautiously. He decided not to talk about the False that he and Kirby had encountered—he had a good idea of how the fidgety Lucas would react to it. "Anyway, we were just about to head upstairs and take five."</p><p>"Take five what? Minutes?"</p><p>King Dedede guffawed at the boy's innocent comment. "Hah, I'd take five <em>weeks</em> off if I could! Naw, kiddo—it's just going to be five hours, or maybe until it's time for dinner."</p><p>"Ohhh…" Lucas smiled sheepishly. "Then it must've been a pretty hard hit to your head."</p><p>"You really don't want to know." King Dedede pressed the snowball against the back of his head with a little too much force. <em>"Ouuuuch."</em></p><p>Ness ran out of the corridor on the opposite side of the foyer. "There you are, Lucas! I was wondering if you'd like to come with me to the plaza to check out the—oh! Hi, Triple D!" he exclaimed with some surprise when he saw the penguin with Lucas. "Glad you're okay!" In a hushed voice, he said, "Smashers left and right have been getting knocked out today…"</p><p>King Dedede winced. "Sucks to be us, I guess."</p><p>"Yeah. I guess so, too." Ness turned back to Lucas. "Let's go now so we can put this extra hour of free time to good use!"</p><p>"Oh! Yeah!" the other psychic boy hastily agreed. Turning back to King Dedede, he bowed a little and said, "Sorry for keeping you here. Hope you and Kirby will feel better soon!" He and Ness opened the Smash Mansion's entrance doors and dashed off, chatting enthusiastically about their plans for the rest of the day. King Dedede caught a few words of their conversation but quickly lost track as they ran farther and farther away.</p><p>"…Hwuhhhhhh…"</p><p>Kirby was half awake. He looked oddly comfortable in the crook of King Dedede's arm. He blinked twice before murmuring, "This isn't my room…"</p><p>King Dedede sighed in exhaustion. "I know, I know. We're almost there." He walked to the elevator doors and pushed the up button; the nearest of the three chimed and opened to reveal Meta Knight.</p><p>"Ah, good afternoon, Your Majesty," the masked knight greeted King Dedede as he stepped inside. "You look like you've been busy." He then noticed Kirby, who had fallen back asleep. "And Kirby, too, of course." In an amused tone, he said, "This is a most unusual sight! When did you two start getting along so well?"</p><p>"Aw, shut up," said King Dedede crossly. He punched the button labeled <em>4</em> and leaned against the wall as the doors closed and the elevator ascended. Changing the topic, he gestured toward Meta Knight's dirty gloves and cape and asked, "Halberd stuff?"</p><p>"As usual."</p><p>The elevator stopped on the second floor. "I need to grab some more towels," explained Meta Knight, exiting the elevator. "I was told the gym on this floor might have some spares…"</p><p>"Have fun," King Dedede called after him. When the doors closed and the elevator continued upward, he looked down at Kirby, who was still fast asleep. The snowball that Lucas had given him was starting to melt into slush, so he tossed it into a corner of the elevator. He reached the fourth floor and immediately went toward a door with a yellow Warp Star painted on it, unlocking it to enter a tidy suite. There were three more doors inside, each one leading into each Dream Land Smasher's bedroom. The penguin waddled over to a light blue door with star ornaments hanging in front of it and gently pushed it open, catching a glimpse of the inside of the room. He placed Kirby on the floor. "Okay, Kirby. Here's your room."</p><p><em>"Poyo,"</em> mumbled the puffball as he sleepwalked into his bedroom. King Dedede closed the door, yawned widely, and went to a fancy-looking wooden door with a keypad over the handle. He typed in the four-digit passcode, unlocking the door and entering his lavish bedroom. He immediately dived into his own bed and lay right on top of the blankets.</p><p>
  <em>I'll have a chat with…Master Hand…when…</em>
</p><p>He quickly passed out.</p>
<hr/><p>The wrench slipped from Falco's grasp and clattered onto the floor of the command station with several piercing <em>clang</em>s. The avian grunted and wiped the sweat off his brow. None of this was getting any easier—not that he had expected it to, of course, but a glance through the shattered windows of the Battleship Halberd's bridge<a href="#halberdbridge" id="halberdbridgeback" name="halberdbridgeback"><sup>1</sup></a> put a quick damper on his mood.</p><p>"Falco!" yelled someone from below. "Is everything okay up there?"</p><p>He recognized the voice as Blade Knight's. "Yeah, it's all dandy," he called back. "I just dropped a wrench is all."</p><p>"Understood! Please let me or Sword Knight know if you are in need of any extra help. We're still working on the Combo Cannon. Just say our names and we'll be there."</p><p>"Sure thing."</p><p>Falco had only known Meta Knight's assistants for a few months, but they were certainly two of the most hardworking people that he had ever seen. Their diligence was second to none and easily put some people he knew to shame. With a small groan, he bent down to pick up the wrench that he had dropped. At the same time, he heard the elevator doors slide open with a soft <em>swoosh</em>, and he tiptoed his way to the windows to see who it was. From his position in the highest point of the gargantuan Halberd, he could barely make out the tiny figures of Marth and Ike, who emerged from the elevator.</p><p>"…been slacking a little," Marth was saying to the other swordsman as the elevator closed its doors and traveled back up to pick up someone else. "How does tonight at six sound?"</p><p>"Sounds good," Ike said. "Do the other usual participants know?"</p><p>"Not yet, but—"</p><p>Falco cleared his throat loudly. "Hey, you guys!" he shouted, waving wildly. "How's it going? What are you doing here?"</p><p>Marth squinted a bit to see the avian Smasher in the bridge, and he waved back. "Oh, hello! We ran into Meta Knight upstairs, and he asked us if we could help him. We have a few hours to kill, so here we are." With a smirk, he asked, "And what are you doing? Working hard…or hardly working?"</p><p>"Oh, c'mon," groaned Falco as he tossed his wrench up and down. "I've been busting my ass off in here. My hands are sore and—whoops!" he exclaimed when he missed the wrench. It fell through the window and out of sight. Falco winced each time he heard it bounce off of a hard surface.</p><p><em>"Yikes!"</em> Sword Knight yelped in surprise when it landed on his helmet.</p><p>The wrench eventually came to a stop on the floor of the hangar. It landed at Ike's feet, and the Crimean swordsman gave it a questioning look.</p><p>"Okay, see that?" Falco gestured below himself. "That's a sign that I've been working really hard and that it's time for a break." He climbed through the window and went down the scaffolding that surrounded the bridge. Sword Knight and Blade Knight gave him disapproving looks as he passed them by, but they quickly returned to work. He eventually reached the floor and walked over to Marth and Ike. "I'm heading out," he said as he bent down to snatch up the wrench at Ike's feet, which he then handed to Marth. "I might come back."</p><p>Ike snorted. "'Might'?"</p><p>The other Smasher shrugged. "It'll depend on my mood."</p><p>Marth glanced at the wrench in his hand, and then he craned forward to give the Halberd's stern a closer look. He was still thoroughly impressed by its sheer size, despite its dilapidated appearance. Quietly, he said, "I still can't believe that constructing things like this is possible. This battleship is almost larger than life. I hope to see it in the sky again."</p><p>"Well, with some manpower, this baby's gonna be up and running in no time!" Falco replied optimistically.</p><p>At that moment, he saw a green helmet with a red plume poke out from the Halberd's stern's main deck. Blade Knight shouted, "This baby won't be running <em>anywhere</em> if you don't come back to help us later!"</p><p>"Yeah, Sir Meta Knight would really appreciate it," agreed an out-of-sight Sword Knight.</p><p>Blade Knight's helmet disappeared again. "It's not just him," the knight responded to his purple-armored companion. "<em>We</em> would, too." In a louder and more frustrated-sounding voice, he yelled, "Then we can <em>finally</em> get done with constructing—no, <em>re</em>constructing this godforsaken thing for the <em>millionth time</em>!"</p><p>Ike flinched when he heard the sound of another wrench landing on Sword Knight's helmet. "Somebody's angry," he muttered as he gave Falco an uneasy look. "Are you sure those two won't be angry at you for leaving…?"</p><p>The avian waved off his concern. "What are they gonna do, sue me?" He laughed. "It'll be fine. I'm not ditching for good, of course. I just need something different to do for an hour or two." With a shrug, he added, "Or more. I <em>did</em> say it'll depend on my mood."</p><p>"It might be better to make a decision based on <em>their</em> moods," Marth pointed out as he gestured toward where the Smashers had seen Blade Knight.</p><p>But Falco was already walking away. "I'll think about it. Maybe I'll even sleep on it! That ought to do some good." He looked over his shoulder, grinning at the two swordsmen. "I'll see you later, maybe. Tell Meta I'll be back in ten minutes."</p><p>"…Didn't you <em>just</em> imply that you would be gone for at least an hour?" asked Ike suspiciously.</p><p>By now, though, Falco was out of earshot, so he didn't respond. Marth and Ike watched as he walked along the length of the Halberd's stern, running his hand over the surface of its hull, before turning around a corner and vanishing. The moment he had left, the elevator behind the swordsmen opened its doors again, and Meta Knight swooped out. His eyes were just peeking over the tall stack of towels he was carrying.</p><p>"I have a job for you two," he said to Marth and Ike. "Come with me to the stern." He looked around. "Is Falco still here?"</p><p>"Oh, he's long gone," said Ike with a short laugh.</p><p>"He said he'd be gone for ten minutes," said Marth, "but I doubt <em>his</em> ten minutes is the same as the norm…"</p><p>"Of course you should doubt him. This is Falco we're speaking of. I don't think any of the Smashers have to know him as well as Fox does to be aware of his…personality. Oh, well—that's simply the way he is." Meta Knight threw the towels into Ike's arms. "Follow me. You can climb the scaffolding to reach the top…"</p><p>In reality, Falco wasn't thinking about taking a nap. In fact, he wasn't even heading out, nor did he intend to. Once he had made sure that Meta Knight, Marth, and Ike weren't facing his direction, he dashed over to the Halberd's bow-side portion. This half of the battleship was in far worse condition than its other half, having taken the full brunt of the blast that had destroyed the ship. Its once distinct mask had been rendered unrecognizable—most of it had been burned or melted away, and there was a gaping hole in the center. Falco was debating the fastest way to reach the hole when he heard Ike's voice in the distance.</p><p>"Meta Knight, have you done any work on the other half of the Halberd yet?"</p><p>"No," the knight replied dejectedly. "The bow is currently off limits. Many sections of it have serious structural issues. I know of one area on the main deck that is so damaged that Kirby stood on it and fell right through the floor."</p><p>"Oh, goodness!" cried Marth in alarm. "Is he all right?"</p><p>"There is no need to worry about him. He's much tougher than he looks."</p><p>"Ah, a rare compliment from our favorite knight from Dream Land," Ike said sarcastically. "But why was Kirby there in the first place?"</p><p>"I needed some way of assessing the severity of the damage done to the bow."</p><p>There was a pause. Falco could picture Marth and Ike processing Meta Knight's words and putting two and two together, and then—</p><p>"What?! You're <em>horrible</em>!"</p><p>"Now I'm having second thoughts about helping you out…"</p><p>"As I said, Kirby is much tougher than he looks," Meta Knight responded calmly. "He and I know each other well. I wouldn't do anything like that to either of you, of course."</p><p>"What's that supposed to mean?!"</p><p>Falco quietly snorted at Marth's protests. Meta Knight clearly had his own methods of handling things, but it was obvious that he also knew his peers very well. He was right about Kirby's resilience. After all, the pink puffball had been the one to deal the first—and finishing—blow to the Subspace Gunship.</p><p><em>But enough about Kirby,</em> Falco thought. <em>I'm here to check this thing out!</em></p><p>He walked backward until he was about twenty feet away from the Halberd's mask. Taking a moment to brace himself, he eyed the gaping hole in the mask, and then he flung himself forward. He pushed himself off the ground with as much force as he could and hurtled upward.</p><p>
  <em>There!</em>
</p><p>He grabbed onto the bottom edge of the hole with one hand and dangled there for a few seconds, breathing slowly to make himself as quiet as possible. When he was certain that the other Smashers still had no idea that he was still in the hangar, he grunted and hurriedly heaved himself up to perch on the hole's edge.</p><p>"…Whoa…"</p><p>From his vantage point, Falco could look directly into the Halberd's bow. Inside was a completely different world. The battleship's interior was dark and dreary and, in some areas, filled to the ceiling with debris. In the few rays of light that were able to penetrate the darkness, he could see particles of dust floating around. When he poked his head further inside, all the sounds in the second-floor basement were instantly muffled by the still air within the bow.</p><p>"Blade Knight, Sword Knight"—Meta Knight sounded so oddly far away—"how goes the work on the Combo Cannon?"</p><p>Disgruntled sighs followed the knight's question. "I'll start with the bad news," said Sword Knight. "We just discovered that the main cannon suffered a lot of water damage. We'll have to rebuild it from scratch. The good news is that the laser cannon is in surprisingly good condition, likely because its compartment remained closed when the Halberd was shot down."</p><p>"I see. Then this is what we shall do…"</p><p>Falco quickly tuned out Meta Knight's boring explanation of the logistics of recovering what could be salvaged. He looked around and saw a slab of concrete about ten feet below him. Slowly, he slid off the edge of the hole and landed on the platform.</p><p>"Quiet, quiet, quiet…!" he hissed when he started skidding down the concrete. His boots dislodged a few small pebbles that echoed through the Halberd's bow as they tumbled down, making a sound reminiscent of the pattering of light rain. At last, Falco landed at the bottom of the concrete slab, where he stood stock still for several seconds.</p><p>"Ike, please place the towels right over there," he heard Meta Knight instructing. "We're going to dismantle the Combo Cannon and remove all the water-damaged components…"</p><p>Falco began to breathe again. "At least I haven't been caught…yet," he said to himself with a tense chuckle.</p><p>Heaps of rubble lay before him. The avian wasn't as familiar with the battleship as some of the other Smashers were, so he had no idea what he was looking at. In the dark and dusty space, everything looked unsafe. He didn't know where to begin exploring.</p><p>"Never thought I'd live to see the Battleship Halberd in such a sad state of affairs," he murmured as he gazed around. His eyes swept across the wreckage. "How are we ever gonna…"</p><p>His voice slowly trailed away when he caught sight of something faintly glinting from behind a heap of concrete fragments. He squinted at it to get a better look. It was metallic and had a rusty bronze color.</p><p><em>Huh,</em> he thought. <em>Maybe I should start th—</em></p><p>Something made a sound from behind the metal.</p><p>"Holy sh<em>—</em>"</p>
<hr/><p>"—it," Fox breathed in disbelief. "Is that really…?"</p><p>Peppy was mystified. <em>"What's happening? What are you talking about?"</em></p><p>The foreign transmission spluttered and flashed on the Arwing's HUD. The voice of Fox's father said, <em>"I—repeat. This—is James McCloud—speaking. Do you—read me?"</em></p><p><em>"Hey, Fox!"</em> exclaimed Peppy with concern. <em>"You look like you're seeing a ghost!"</em></p><p>Fox swallowed hard and looked down. He was clutching his Arwing's thrust lever so hard that his knuckles had turned white, and he quickly let go. His palms felt sweaty and his pulse was quickening. "…Peppy?" he said hoarsely. "I… I gotta go."</p><p>
  <em>"H-hey! What's goin'—"</em>
</p><p>The vulpine ended the transmission, and the old rabbit's video screen vanished from the dashboard's HUD. He stared at the blurry video that had interrupted his call, wondering what to say. Before he could come up with anything, James spoke again.</p><p><em>"Hel—lo? Does anybody—"</em> Suddenly, his video screen disappeared.</p><p>Fox's eyes widened. <em>"No,"</em> he gasped, panic rising in his chest. "No, no, no, no, no. Don't go. Please don't go. Not after all this time!" He sat up in his seat and punched several buttons on the Arwing's dashboard. Several controls flickered to life, glowing light green. "Comms—online," he muttered. "Weapon systems—online. Flight controls…G-Diffuser system…fuel…<em>ugh</em>," he groaned when he saw that the Arwing was low on fuel cells. For a split second, he hesitated.</p><p>"…No," he decided. "There's no time." Deep down, he knew he was likely making a huge mistake, but at this moment James took priority over any other matter. He continued to go down his checklist, breathing deeply when he finished. "All systems go."</p><p>A round of static burst through his headset, but something interrupted the transmission again. He exhaled noisily, knowing that he didn't have any time to waste. He started up the Arwing's engine and activated the green eyepiece attached to his headset; the small panel of glass flipped over his right eye and rapidly adjusted to his line of sight before syncing to the Arwing's radar and weapon systems. As the engine warmed up, Fox tightly gripped the thrust lever with his left hand and the control stick with his right.</p><p>"Open the hangar doors."</p><p>At the other end of the long runway were the massive doors. At Fox's command, the steel panels began to simultaneously slide upward. Sunlight poured into the basement, and a few rays struck Fox right in the eyes, blinding him. He squinted several times to accustom himself to the light.</p><p>"Preparing for takeoff—"</p><p>With three deep clangs, the doors reached their uppermost positions. The sound resonated all around the hangar.</p><p>"—in five…four…three…"</p><p>The engine of his Arwing suddenly flared with bright blue flames.</p><p>"…two…one—"</p><p>Propelled by the Arwing's fully engaged engine, the small platform that carried the starfighter shot forward. It rapidly glided along an electromagnetic rail that ran parallel with the runway, and when it hit the end of the rail, the Arwing was launched into the open air of the cloudy October afternoon.</p><p>"Here we go." Fox opened his starfighter's wings to their widest angle and flew to a higher altitude. "Where…"</p><p>His headset crackled again. <em>"The clouds—"</em> came James' distressed voice. <em>"Hurry—!"</em></p><p>Fox immediately took off toward the gray clouds, some of which briefly flashed blue. His heart was racing. Within seconds, he went through the clouds and into the clear of the stratosphere<a href="#stratosphere" id="stratosphereback" name="stratosphereback"><sup>2</sup></a>, where he instantly spotted another starfighter that was several miles away from his position. Although its surface was battered and its overall design looked somewhat outdated, he could easily tell that it was an Arwing. It was wildly darting through the air.</p><p><em>What the…</em> Fox pulled back on his Arwing's control stick, guiding his starfighter toward the other Arwing. He activated his headset, steeled himself, and spoke into the microphone. "James…McCloud? Do you read me?"</p><p>The Arwing continued to fly in circles, though it seemed to slow down a bit. However, its pilot did not respond. Through clenched teeth, Fox said again, "Do you read me?"</p><p>All of a sudden, blue flames burst out of the other Arwing's engine, and the starfighter zipped away.</p><p>"Whoa, hey!" Fox boosted his Arwing's engines and followed James' starfighter. Although the other Arwing had clearly been through many more missions and dogfights than Fox's had, it was still able to maintain an impressive flight speed. Its pilot's skill in maneuvering the starfighter was evident as well, as Fox was struggling to keep up with the Arwing's erratic flying.</p><p>"Wait—hey, wait!"</p><p>The other Arwing showed no sign of slowing down. It abruptly pulled into a steep dive and flew into the clouds below. Fox cursed as he, too, plunged into the clouds in pursuit of the starfighter. The gray clouds obscured his vision but had no effect on his radar, allowing his eyepiece to maintain its reticle on James' Arwing.</p><p>"Boy, do I love technology," he muttered dryly.</p><p>The Arwing in front of him ducked and weaved through the clouds, continuing to fly as though its pilot had no destination in mind. It was barely visible now. Fox had no idea how it was able to fly around like this despite its decrepit appearance. As he attempted to speak into his headset, James' Arwing flew off with a sudden burst of speed, the blue flames spewing from its engine glowing even brighter.</p><p>"Oh, come <em>on</em>!" Fox screamed into his headset. "No more games!" He yanked back on his Arwing's thrust lever and went after James. "You were talking before—why not now?!"</p><p>The other pilot remained silent as his Arwing hurtled back out of the clouds at breakneck speed. Fox's heart pounded against his chest and blood roared through his ears. It was becoming difficult for him to keep his emotions under control. Why the hell was James not responding?</p><p>
  <em>"My apologies."</em>
</p><p>Fox jumped in his seat, startled by the voice. "What—"</p><p>The Arwing ahead of him suddenly deployed its air brakes, causing Fox to fly right past it. His eyes widened and, swearing under his breath, he pulled on his Arwing's control stick to turn around.</p><p>"You goddamn—"</p><p>He cut himself off when, from the corner of his eye, he noticed an odd shimmer. With a jolt, he realized that James' Arwing was beginning to take on a golden glow. A thin layer of light covered its dented gray surface. Fox jerked the control stick to the right and performed a tight U-turn to face the other Arwing again, just in time to see it swerve dangerously from side to side.</p><p>"Your Arwing's gonna fall apart if you keep this up, James!" he hollered. He had no idea if James was even receiving any of his transmissions, but he continued anyway. "Enough already! This is Fox McCloud. I'm… I'm…" He breathed shakily as he took a moment to prepare to say the next words. "…I'm your <em>son</em>!"</p><p>Immediately after he had said this, James' Arwing came to an abrupt halt and hovered above the clouds. Fox slowed his Arwing and cautiously approached the other starfighter, which remained in place and continued to glow as the Smasher stopped a few hundred feet away from it.</p><p>"J—Dad? Can you…" He had to pause to calm himself down. James was so close… "Do you remember me?"</p><p>The blurry profile of a fox wearing a pair of dark sunglasses appeared on his HUD. Fox whispered a steady stream of oaths as he stared at the video and threw glances at the glowing Arwing before him. His mind had gone blank.</p><p>James was <em>so close</em>…</p><p>
  <em>"It really is you, Fox."</em>
</p><p>He sat there in stunned silence as the sunglasses-wearing fox flashed the briefest of solemn smiles. He spoke with sympathy.</p><p>
  <em>"Trust your instincts."</em>
</p><p>His Arwing became fully enveloped in golden light and shone brightly like a star. At the same time, the video feed on Fox's HUD faded away and was replaced by a green Star Fox logo. Fox shouted in panic and confusion as he raised a hand to shield his eyes from the painful light, which grew brighter and brighter. It gleamed on the clouds below him, turning them from gray into a blinding white. Just as he thought he couldn't take it anymore, James' Arwing, which by now was nothing more than a blazing ball of light, dipped sharply into the clouds like a meteor before resurfacing a moment later. The golden light soared past Fox at such an incredible speed that his radar was unable to keep up with it.</p><p>"W-wait!" He pulled his thrust lever to its farthest position, causing his Arwing to shoot after the beam of light at maximum speed. The light was impossibly fast—with each passing second, it put more and more distance between itself and Fox, who was growing increasingly desperate.</p><p>"Don't go, don't go, don't go, don't leave—"</p><p>But nothing in the world could catch up with it, and nothing in the world could stop it, either. The ball of light that was once James' Arwing flashed even more brightly than before, forcing Fox to look away. He blindly flew his Arwing toward the light.</p><p>"—don't leave, don't leave, <em>please</em> don't—"</p><p>A high-pitched siren started to shriek—the Arwing's fuel was dangerously low. He had to land within the next few minutes or risk running out of fuel in midair.</p><p>
  <em>"Trust your instincts."</em>
</p><p>James' last words echoed in Fox's head as he sat there in silence. Even though he knew it was hopeless, he continued to chase after the light. He wanted to follow it into the depths of space, past the moon, past the planets, past the stars. Anything to see his father and hear his voice again.</p><p>
  <em>"Trust your instincts."</em>
</p><p>Fox turned around and flew back to the Smash Mansion.</p>
<hr/><p><em>"The Pokérus is, as you may have guessed from its name, a virus that only infects Pokémon,"</em> Master Hand explained to Mario. <em>"It is highly contagious. However, it is unique in that most Pokémon Trainers, if not all, would actually </em>love<em> to infect their entire party of Pokémon with this virus because it can make an infected Pokémon stronger than usual."</em></p><p>The doctor's eyes widened a little as he put a hand to his chin. "Hm!" he said with some interest. "So it's a mutualistic virus!"</p><p><em>"Indeed,"</em> agreed Master Hand. <em>"However, I am unable to think of any Pokémon that Lucario had recently come in contact with who could have been infected."</em> He was still staring at the curtains. <em>"On top of that, the Pokérus is exceedingly rare. The chances of encountering an infected Pokémon are about twenty thousand to one."</em></p><p>"Mama mia, that <em>is</em> rare…"</p><p>
  <em>"Yes. I am intrigued."</em>
</p><p>Mario considered the hand's words for a moment before asking, "But if the Pokérus is a good thing…does that mean I've got nothing to worry about?"</p><p><em>"I would avoid saying that the Pokérus is for certain a good thing,"</em> said Master Hand as he turned around to face the doctor<em>. "It is impossible to categorize things as simply good or bad. For now, I suggest that you keep a close eye on Lucario for the next few days. Keep him in quarantine—you never know what might happen."</em></p><p>"Okee-dokee," said Mario. "I'm going back to the medical room to see how Lucario is doing. It's good to know that he should be fine!" Smiling at Master Hand, he continued, "Thank you for your time. I think that's all I need to know for now." He turned on his heel, went to the door, and opened it. "Have a good rest of your day!" He exited the office with a more confident bounce in his stride.</p><p>Master Hand watched the doctor go before telepathically shutting the door again with a flick of his finger. <em>At least he remained in good spirits…</em></p><p>Just as he was thinking this, a giant left hand appeared in his office with a short burst of reddish smoke.</p><p><em>"Ahhh…hello, Crazy Hand,"</em> said Master Hand a little warily, waving the smoke away. <em>"I have not seen you for a short while."</em></p><p>Crazy Hand's fingers were twitching uncontrollably as usual. However, Master Hand noticed that there seemed to be some nervous trembling accompanying the quick movements. <em>"Something appears to be troubling you,"</em> he observed. <em>"Is something the matter? Did you destroy yet another object of extreme value?"</em> He chuckled. <em>"I will simply have to repair it again. This is considered our daily routine, is it not?"</em></p><p>Rather than respond to his statement, the other hand rapidly shook from side to side. In a quiet voice that was very unlike him, he asked fretfully, <em>"D-d-does he know?"</em></p><p>Master Hand was confused by this. Then he understood what Crazy Hand meant. <em>"No, he does not,"</em> he said in a gentler tone. <em>"No one knows. Our secret is still safe between the two of us."</em></p><p>Crazy Hand sniffled a little as his fingers steadied slightly. <em>"But…what if they find out…?"</em></p><p><em>"They will,"</em> replied Master Hand, choosing not to sugarcoat the matter, <em>"but in due time. They must learn everything at their own pace. And none of them will not fully understand it until Lucario does."</em></p><p>
  <em>"I think that's gonna take a reeeeeally long time…"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, perhaps. And perhaps not. Who knows? We are not omnipotent."</em>
</p><p>Making frustrated noises, Crazy Hand began to aimlessly drift around the room. <em>"Well, here's what I don't get,"</em> he said. <em>"Why can't we just tell them? Why keep hiding it?!"</em></p><p>Master Hand curled his fingers into a loose fist. It was unfortunate that Crazy Hand was rarely taken seriously—he certainly wasn't dumb. <em>"This is why!"</em> he said, his voice sounding strained. <em>"You must not forget why we are here in the first place!"</em></p><p>
  <em>"'We' as in… Oh."</em>
</p><p><em>"Yes. You must </em>never<em> forget."</em></p><p>Crazy Hand suddenly stopped in place. He was shivering. <em>"…H-hey, bro,"</em> he whimpered. <em>"Can you, uh… Can you pull up the curtains?"</em></p><p>Without replying, Master Hand pointed at the gray curtains, which lifted over the office's three windows. Crazy Hand relaxed a bit when sunlight entered the room. <em>"Thanks," </em>he said softly. <em>"I'm kinda embarrassed."</em></p><p><em>"Oh, you,"</em> said Master Hand with a small laugh, and he playfully poked the left hand. <em>"What is there to be embarrassed about?"</em></p><p><em>"Well, like…"</em> Crazy Hand lifted his thumb and pinky for a moment. <em>"…I'm…uhhh…scared of the dark? Or more like…I'm scared when there's no light. That's a little embarrassing, dontcha think? Maybe even more than just being scared of the dark…"</em></p><p>Master Hand waved him off. <em>"Nonsense! That is a perfectly valid fear."</em></p><p>
  <em>"Awww, I'm already feeling a lot better. Thanks, bro."</em>
</p><p>The two hands exchanged a fist bump. <em>"What do you have planned for the rest of the day?"</em> asked Master Hand, quickly changing the topic.</p><p>Crazy Hand instantly perked up. <em>"I'm gonna find Sonic and throw him into the pool!"</em> he proclaimed.</p><p>The more sensible hand just groaned. <em>"Oh dear. You seem to have committed to this plan long before I even asked the question…"</em></p><p>
  <em>"DUH! Gotta plan ahead to commit to the plan! Right?!"</em>
</p><p><em>"I…suppose. Well, you know full well that I cannot stop you. But I </em>will<em> hound you down if your antics become excessively…deranged."</em></p><p>
  <em>"Wow! That sounds AWESOME!"</em>
</p><p>With a long sigh, Master Hand relaxed his fingers, relieved to hear Crazy Hand gradually coming back to his usual, hyperactive self. <em>"Well, whatever you say. Good luck, er, catching Sonic."</em></p><p>The left hand, adrenalized once more, did a happy little twirl. <em>"He can't get away from me!"</em> he squawked. <em>"It's no use!"</em> With that final declaration, he vanished with a quick snap of his fingers, leaving Master Hand alone in his office.</p><p><em>"…Hmm."</em> The hand faced the door, pondering Crazy Hand's words. <em>"Sometimes, I feel like that hand is too perceptive for his own good. At least we have here a wide variety of things to distract him from the past."</em> He chuckled to himself before falling silent again. <em>"But…he is right to be afraid."</em></p><p>Crazy Hand's fears weren't unfounded—it was without a doubt that danger continued to lurk beyond Smashville. Master Hand didn't want to admit it, but he, too, was afraid. He wasn't entirely sure if he and his brother had fully succeeded in escaping their pasts, and it didn't help that they had no way of knowing if they had. After all, neither of the hands, despite their great powers, could see the future. All they could do was tread carefully.</p><p><em>"I just hope Crazy Hand will have enough sense to know </em>how<em> to tread carefully,"</em> said Master Hand to himself. <em>"I wonder why he never behaves as one normally should under certain circumstances."</em></p><p>As for the Smashers…they simply couldn't know yet. They wouldn't understand. It wouldn't be until they had seen it for themselves that they would.</p><p>Master Hand slowly turned around and felt the sun's afternoon rays shine down on his fingers. Although it was a somewhat overcast day, the sun was still easily able to penetrate the blanket of cotton ball-like clouds and bathe Smashville in a warm, pale yellow light.</p><p>He despised that light.</p>
<hr/><p>Since it was still early afternoon, there was quite a bit of activity in Smashville Plaza when Ness and Lucas entered it. The plaza, which was home to several businesses owned by people from a wide variety of worlds, was crawling with locals and tourists. A few Smashville residents waved to Ness and Lucas when they saw them, and the boys waved back.</p><p>"Okay," said Ness excitedly as he turned to Lucas. "I heard from Pikachu and Jigglypuff that there's a new shop in town. Apparently, it's a café that serves drinks using ingredients from the Pokémon world!"</p><p>"That's pretty neat!" the other boy replied. "What's it called?"</p><p>"Spinda's Café, I think. It's actually not open yet, but I thought we could sneak a peek and…I dunno…" Ness blushed a little and looked away from Lucas as he quietly concluded, "…possibly get an early bird discount?"</p><p>Lucas started to laugh. In response, Ness started to panic.</p><p>"Th-that's reasonable…right?!" he asked in desperation. "If we show our interest in the shop as early as we could, the owner would appreciate it and offer us more sweet deals the more we go! Although…it would probably mean more to him if we paid in full each time we buy something—"</p><p>"Ness, Ness," interrupted Lucas, still chuckling, "you're overthinking it. Let's just go. Where is it?"</p><p>"Ah—" His friend managed to quickly regain his composure. "Right, uh…" He glanced around himself as he adjusted his baseball cap. "…You know, they actually never told me where the place was…"</p><p>The perimeter of Smashville Plaza, which was roughly in the shape of a large square, was lined with multiple restaurants, cafés, clothing stores, grocery stores, and other small shops. A few structures stood out among the others; this included the Smashville Clock Tower and a large department store called T&amp;T Emporium, which was owned and run by two raccoon brothers from Animal Crossing. In the center of the plaza was a to-scale replica of the Fountain of Dreams in Dream Land. Neither Ness nor Lucas could see anything that resembled a café owned by somebody from a Pokémon world.</p><p>"Let's look for it, then," suggested Lucas.</p><p>The boys walked further into the plaza, searching for Spinda's Café. They passed a couple of Rito who were talking excitedly about how a businessman named Beedle was currently in town. A blond-haired Mii wearing the uniform of the Smashville Postal Service raced by, clutching a small package. A group of colorful, aquatic-looking creatures crowded around a sign that displayed a map of the city. One of the creatures looked up just in time to spot Ness and Lucas.</p><p><em>"Wowee!"</em> she cried as she pointed at them. "Aren't you two of the Super Smash Brothers?!"</p><p>At the mention of "Super Smash Brothers," the rest of the group whirled around and ogled at Ness and Lucas, who stared back at them. They had never seen creatures like these before. Each one was slightly taller than either of them and looked like a cross between a human child and a squid. Their large eyes had thick black markings around them, making it look like they were wearing masks. The creatures also had shiny, brightly-colored hair…but upon closer inspection, the boys realized that everyone's "hair" was actually made up of several tentacles.</p><p>"Yeah, we're Smashers, but…<em>whoa</em>…!" exclaimed Ness. "I'm super sorry if this sounds kinda rude, but…<em>what</em> exactly are you guys?"</p><p>One of the creatures began to laugh, her orange pigtails…tentacles…<em>things</em> bouncing on either side of her head, and she said, "Don't be silly!" To Ness and Lucas' surprise, her bubbly voice sounded like she was talking underwater, which made it slightly difficult to understand her. "It takes a lot to offend any of us. Well, with the exception of Adrian, maybe…"</p><p>One of the male creatures who had green hair and wore a skull bandana over the lower half of his face just sighed in exasperation.</p><p>"But to answer your question," continued the orange-haired girl, "we're Inklings!"</p><p>"Part kid, part squid!" an Inkling girl with purple hair cheered.</p><p>"What she said," confirmed the first Inkling. "We're on a week-long vacation in Smashville! We're leaving tomorrow, so I'm stoked that we got to see some Smashers in person before taking off."</p><p>"That's awesome!" Ness said. "Well, I'm Ness and this is my good friend Lucas." He glanced at Lucas, who was trying to avoid making eye contact with any of the Inklings. "C'mon, Lucas, say hi."</p><p>Lucas hated that he was so painfully shy. Whenever he encountered somebody new, it felt like the entire world had its eyes on him. He forced himself to look at the orange Inkling. "Er…h-hi, I'm Lucas," he stammered. He felt his face burning and quickly turned away from her to stare at his red and yellow sneakers. "I-I-I'm sorry…"</p><p>Ness put an arm around Lucas' shoulders to comfort him, while the orange Inkling tilted her head to the side. "Don't apologize for who you are," she said kindly. "Some things are just harder for some people than they are for others." With a smile, she said, "Anyways, I'm Aster!" Then she gestured to the other Inklings. "And these are my buddies."</p><p>A blue Inkling boy waved at Ness and Lucas. "Call me Trent! And that there is Adrian."</p><p>The green Inkling boy called Adrian just nodded once as he tugged at the skull bandana that covered the bottom half of his face. He clearly wasn't the talkative type.</p><p>A pink Inkling girl sporting a red and white cap jumped up and down. <em>"BOOYAH!"</em> she whooped loudly. "The name's Nixie! Nice to meetcha!"</p><p>A cyan Inkling boy with a pair of glasses winced when Nixie yelled right into his ear. "Calm <em>down</em>, Nix," he admonished her. "It's not like we're about to fight them or something." He redirected his attention to Ness and Lucas and said, "Well, I'm Tampa. Good to know you."</p><p>The purple Inkling from before giggled as she adjusted her hair clip. "Hiya, I'm Indy!"</p><p>"And last but not least, I'm Caspian," finished an indigo Inkling boy who was decked out in skate gear, even though there wasn't a single skateboard to be found. "Think you got all our names<a href="#inklings" id="inklingsback" name="inklingsback"><sup>3</sup></a> down?"</p><p>"No," said Ness very truthfully, "but we'll just do our best."</p><p>"Then I wish you the best of luck!" said Indy with a playful expression. "We're actually missing a teammate right now because she's out on a mission—"</p><p>Adrian sighed again, but the other Inkling ignored him.</p><p>"—but she says hi and is sorry for missing the trip!"</p><p>"Aw, that's too bad. What's her name?"</p><p>"If I told you, I don't think you'd remember her name…let alone <em>all</em> of ours."</p><p><em>"Hey!</em>" Ness cried indignantly. "I'm sure I can remember your names! I mean…if you guys continue to visit us, it'll be easier for us to remember them…"</p><p>"Then I've got some great news for you!" said Tampa, grinning widely. "We got access to the Smash World not too long ago, so you'll definitely be seeing us again."</p><p>Lucas' curiosity eventually got the better of him, and he found himself speaking up. "Uhhh…s-sorry, but…what do you mean by 'got access'…?"</p><p>The cyan Inkling explained that a special method of transportation had recently been established between Smashville and Inkopolis, the Inklings' hometown. It was called the Interdimensional Hyperspeed Skyway, and it functioned much like a normal subway system apart from the fact it allowed its passengers to travel between completely separate dimensions within a matter of a few hours. Ness and Lucas learned that Transport Gates connecting the Inklings' world to the Smash World were currently being constructed, but because of stability issues caused by the great distance between the dimensions that each world was located in, it would take a while before they would be fully functional.</p><p>"So <em>that</em> might explain why I hadn't seen you guys sooner," Ness surmised. "The Wild World must've gotten working Transport Gates earlier because it's closer to us than you are. Who built the Skyway?"</p><p>Aster shrugged. "Not anyone we know, that's for sure. It just sort of appeared out of nowhere. And it uses some ridiculously sophisticated technology! It must've taken a really long time to construct. But we do know it's operated by…ummm…" Her face scrunched up in concentration as she tried to remember the term.</p><p>"Humans?" supplied Caspian.</p><p>"Right! The conductor and attendants were all humans." Aster's eyes were huge. "Real, living <em>humans</em>! It was <em>incredible</em>! Not sure why they all referred to themselves as 'me,' though…"</p><p>Lucas was about to ask why it was so shocking to see humans when Adrian reached over and poked the orange Inkling's shoulder to get her attention. Then he tapped his wrist.</p><p>"Oops!" said Aster. "I hate to cut this short, but I forgot we're on a time limit. We gotta explore!" She winked and suddenly struck an odd pose, raising one leg in the air and holding her arms out like a zombie. <em>"Booyah!"</em></p><p>Lucas was bewildered. "What are you—"</p><p>Trent roughly elbowed Aster, knocking her over. Ignoring her protesting cries, he said apologetically, "I'd explain if we had more time. Ness, Lucas, it was really nice to meet you! I hope we'll be seeing each other again real soon."</p><p>"Yeah, same here!" Ness replied. "Next time you come, I want to give you a tour of the Smash Mansion!"</p><p>The Inklings took this in with much excitement. "We'd <em>love</em> that," gushed Nixie. "Ooh, tell Master Hand that ATLANTIC will come by someday!"</p><p>Ness and Lucas looked at each other. "ATLANTIC?"</p><p>But then the Inklings realized that they were behind schedule, so by the time the Smashers began to attempt to decipher the meaning of the word, their new acquaintances were already running off to their next destination.</p>
<hr/><p>Snake's mailbox was still empty.</p><p>Each resident of the Smash Mansion had a personal mailbox built into one of the walls of their room. Every piece of mail that was delivered to the mansion would mysteriously find its way to the proper addressee and turn up in that person's mailbox. It was a system that few questioned because it worked quite effectively. A few of the many Miis who lived in Smashville worked as the town's mail carriers, and as far as Snake was concerned, they were always on time. His package, which was supposed to have arrived three days ago, was a fairly important one—and he needed it for tomorrow.</p><p>The mercenary began to wonder if it was because of the unusual contents of the package. He couldn't think of anybody besides himself who had anything to do with them, and even he hardly used them nowadays. But he knew someone who was very fond of them.</p><p>Well, he <em>used</em> to know someone.</p><p>Snake eventually decided that staring at his empty mailbox was getting him nowhere. He leaned forward and immediately winced. The ice pack that Mario had given him helped numb most of the pain caused by the nasty bruise on his stomach, but half of it had already melted and the condensation on the outside of the bag was making a mess. He set the ice pack on his nightstand and stood up with a grunt.</p><p>
  <em>Might as well take a walk.</em>
</p><p>He pocketed his bandana, gave the worn photograph taped to the wall beside his bed a cursory glance, and left his room. He walked through the lounge outside his bedroom and exited the space, shutting the door without locking it—there was nothing of interest in there for him to care too much about other Smashers snooping around. He knew they wouldn't, anyway. When he started making his way down the hall, he noticed that the mansion was fairly quiet—the last Brawl of the day must have finished a while ago. With a small frown, Snake thought back to his and Lucario's Brawl from this morning. He wondered how the Pokémon was doing now.</p><p>Normally, the mercenary would ignore the elevator and take the stairs all the way from the fifth floor to the first. He wasn't too fond of elevators. But he realized that he didn't have much of a choice this time—pain throbbed throughout his body with each step he took. He entered the first elevator that opened its doors, pressed the button for the first floor, and closed his eyes, trying not to think about the small space that enclosed him as the doors slid shut.</p><p>"Oh, Snake!" exclaimed a familiar voice a short moment later. The mercenary reopened his eyes and looked down to see Mr. Game &amp; Watch standing before him. Then he saw that he had reached his destination. He stepped into the lobby, while the two-dimensional Smasher passed him to enter the elevator.</p><p>"I heard about what had happened," the other Smasher said sympathetically. "How are you doing?"</p><p>"Could be better," Snake grumbled. "But thanks for your concern."</p><p>Mr. Game &amp; Watch waved at him. "Well, take care of yourself, okay?" he said right before the elevator doors closed.</p><p>Snake just shook his head with a furrowed brow. He still couldn't understand how a being such as Mr. Game &amp; Watch could exist. A two-dimensional creature in a three-dimensional world… As he pondered this, he ambled through the mansion's foyer and toward the front doors.</p><p>"Where should I go today?" he then asked himself. "The plaza's too busy…and I'm not a fan of that forest…" He pulled one of the doors open and grimaced when a ray of sunlight hit him right in the eyes. It took him a few seconds to adjust to the new lighting. "Maybe I should just go around one of the quieter neighborhoods in the town…"</p><p>As he closed the door, he suddenly became aware of somebody shouting his name. He looked in the direction of the voice and saw a figure in blue clothing jogging up the hill that the Smash Mansion sat on. It was one of the mail carrier Miis, and he had a small cardboard box tucked under his arm. Snake recognized this Mii, having passed him by multiple times and occasionally chatted with him during his trips around Smashville.</p><p>"Cutting it a bit close this time, don't you think, Marcel?" he called, secretly relieved to see that his package had finally arrived in one piece.</p><p>The Mii named Marcel reached the top of the hill and handed the box to the mercenary, panting as he did. "I'm so sorry," he apologized breathlessly. "The moment your package appeared in the post office, I was off and running. It looked pretty important, so I thought it would be a good idea to deliver it to you personally. I'm not too late, am I?"</p><p>"Well…not really," said Snake with a chuckle. "Thanks."</p><p>Marcel grinned as he attempted to neaten his short blond hair. "Your package took a long time to deliver because of the specificity of the order," he explained. "I mean…<em>that</em> particular brand?" He shrugged. "We had to dig through a bunch of directories because no one had ever heard of it. It took us a while to find it."</p><p>"Is that so?" Snake felt bad for the Mii and the other mail carriers. "Damn, sorry about that. I should've just hopped over to my place and bought 'em there. I'm heading there tomorrow, anyway."</p><p>"I see," said Marcel, giving the package in Snake's hand a look. "You're going to your world? Will you be visiting some friends?"</p><p>"…Er…sort of," said Snake after a pause.</p><p>Marcel nodded, hearing the discomfort in the mercenary's voice. "Well, I'd best be going. My shift just ended, but I'll be late for the dueling club if we continue talking… Sorry again that your delivery took so long to arrive." He waved goodbye to Snake. "See you around. Take care!"</p><p>Snake watched the Mii run back down the hill. <em>"Take care," huh?</em> he thought. <em>That's the second one in ten minutes. Am I really looking that shabby?</em></p><p>He glanced at the box in his hands, feeling its shape and weight. It wasn't very heavy—in fact, it couldn't weigh more than a pound. But to him, it seemed to carry the weight of the world.</p>
<hr/><p>Falco immediately placed a hand on the grip of his Blaster, which was tucked into its holster on his right side. There was definitely something behind that pile of rubble. Inanimate objects couldn't make sounds by themselves, after all.</p><p><em>Unless I knocked something out of place while sliding down that concrete slab,</em> he thought with some uncertainty, <em>but that couldn't be it, could it?</em></p><p>He took a few steps closer to the rusty, bronze-colored metal, his boots crunching over tiny bits of concrete. Whatever had made the sound before was now silent, which only made him feel more on edge.</p><p>"Come out, come out, wherever—and whatever—you are…" he muttered under his breath.</p><p>Nothing responded. How typical.</p><p>"Tch. Am I really gonna be doing this the hard way?" Falco tiptoed to the pile of rubble, which was concealing most of the metallic object. Keeping his right hand on his Blaster, he used his other hand to brush the rubble away, little by little. He managed to get rid of all the smaller pieces, but there were still a few larger ones in the way. With a long sigh, he let go of his Blaster and used both hands to roll the heftier pieces of debris aside, revealing the rusty metal in its entirety.</p><p>His eyes widened.</p><p>The metal belonged to a bronze-colored door. It was completely covered in rust and scorch marks and hung at an awkward angle, but it was clearly a door of some kind. Falco closely examined it and took in its design. Four thin strips of metal, two horizontal and two vertical, ran across its surface, and there were four narrow slots near the bottom that appeared to provide ventilation for the room that the door had once been a part of.</p><p>"Well, I'll be," he muttered in a moment of sudden revelation. "It's a Halberd door. And…ah."</p><p>The door was still attached to a room that—from the outside, at least—appeared to be almost entirely intact.</p><p>Falco shook his head in disbelief. "The good news is the Halberd isn't a <em>total</em> loss. One room is better than—"</p><p>He was interrupted by a rumble that shook the entire second-floor basement. He quickly crouched down and watched the pebbles at his feet bounce across the floor. The Smashers outside yelled out, startled by the noise, while Falco's eyes widened when he realized what was causing the rumbling.</p><p><em>That's an Arwing booting up! And there's only one other Smasher who flies one…</em> With an irritated huff, he thought, <em>Now what's Fox up to?!</em></p><p>The rumbling became louder and louder as the Arwing's engine warmed up, eventually growing to a roar. Then a metallic groan joined the commotion—the hangar doors were opening.</p><p>"We really need to talk to Master Hand about putting all functioning vehicles in a <em>separate</em> hangar!" Blade Knight hollered over the din.</p><p>Falco closed his eyes and clapped his hands over his ears when the Arwing's thunderous engine roared to life and resonated throughout the hangar. The starfighter took off a moment later, the sound of its engine disappearing as quickly as it had come. When he couldn't hear it anymore, the avian reopened his eyes and uncovered his ears and was instantly awed at how quiet the entire second-floor basement had suddenly become.</p><p>"…Whew!" he heard Sword Knight remark. He sounded a bit rattled. "Er, that sure was…something."</p><p>Blade Knight laughed at his friend's lack of words.</p><p>Falco let out a shuddering sigh. He was worried about Fox—the vulpine had been extremely shaken up by Wolf's words during their Brawl. Wolf had brought up a touchy subject, and it didn't help that <em>he</em> was the one to have mentioned something about it. But Falco knew that when Fox wanted to be alone, he had to be left alone. He likely took off in his Arwing just to take a breather.</p><p><em>So…that leaves me with </em>my<em> predicament…</em></p><p>Falco was still alone in the darkness of the Halberd's bow, along with whatever was inside the room he had just discovered. He gave the door ahead of him a suspicious look, and then he steeled himself for the worst and approached it, this time taking his Blaster out of its holster. He half expected the door to automatically slide open, which wouldn't have made sense since there was no power running through the battleship, and it looked like it was jammed, anyway. He pressed the side of his face against the door's rough surface and listened intently. Everything was silent.</p><p>Then something on the other side moved.</p><p>With a yelp, he leaped back and aimed his Blaster at the door with quivering hands. Whatever was inside the sealed room must have been spooked, too, because he heard pebbles bouncing and rolling around. He knew he didn't do that.</p><p><em>C'mon, Lombardi!</em> he furiously scolded himself. <em>You've faced everything from Aparoids to the Venomian Army—and won. Some little noises could never hurt ya. You're armed and you've got a whole list of tricks to show off. And hey, you're a </em>Smasher<em>! Smashers aren't afraid of sounds. Hell, you were one of the last guys standing when you took down </em>Tabuu<em>! Takes a decent bit of skill to do </em>that<em>, wouldn't you agree?</em></p><p>His confidence slightly boosted by his own pep talk, he stepped toward the door once more. His inner voice drowned out everything around him. He inhaled through his nose and exhaled through his mouth, listening to the rhythmic pattern of his breathing to calm his nerves. Then, with his free hand, he reached out and cautiously slipped his fingers through the door's ventilation slots, and he attempted to lift the door.</p><p>
  <em>"…Urghhhh…!"</em>
</p><p>The door was stuck fast—the rust that covered its surface kept it firmly in place. Gnashing his teeth, Falco tugged at the door again, but it refused to budge. He took his hand back out and glared at the door. Adrenaline was coursing through his veins.</p><p>"All right, all right…" he seethed, and he shoved his fingers into the slots again. "All <em>right</em>!"</p><p>With a sudden surge of newfound strength, he managed to wrench the door open. It hurled upward with a long, grating shriek and stopped in place halfway up. Falco cringed at the sound—the Smashers working on the Halberd couldn't have missed that. But he'd already gotten this far and there was no turning back now.</p><p>As if to confirm his thoughts, Ike's voice floated into the dark, dusty space of the Halberd's bow. "Did you hear that?"</p><p>"Yes," Falco heard Meta Knight reply. "I think it came from inside the bow."</p><p>"Now I understand why you haven't worked on that half of the ship yet," said Marth anxiously.</p><p>Meta Knight sounded uncharacteristically smug as he said, "I <em>did</em> say there were serious structural issues…"</p><p>They seemed to believe that something within the bow had collapsed on its own. Falco started breathing a little easier, knowing that they were still unaware of his sneaking around in the bow. He ducked his head and peeked into the room, struggling to see anything at all. But the room was pitch-black. He blindly crept into the room, hyper-aware of every sound around him. He could hear the other Smashers taking the Combo Cannon apart piece by heavy piece. He could hear the gentle breeze that entered the second-floor basement through the hangar doors that Fox had forgotten to close. He could hear an alien gurgle from somewhere to his left. He could hear his own heart frantically beating away. He could—</p><p>Falco whirled around, surprised by the noise, and fired his Blaster twice. Both shots pinged off of a chunk of metal that lay in a corner of the room and burned two shallow dents on its surface. His blood ran cold when he heard something let out a frightened cry.</p><p><em>"Gotcha!"</em> He launched himself at the debris in a flying kick, planting his right foot on the metal and knocking it aside. When he returned to the ground, he drew his Blaster again…and came face to face with an odd creature.</p><p>The creature was crouching on the floor and holding its shaking, brown gloved-fists before itself. It wore a dull green uniform with a white collar and a cylindrical cap with a red feather sticking straight up from the center. Its face and limbs were black and its red eyes glowed faintly in the darkness. A cloud of purple particles spurted from a tear on its back.</p><p>Falco let out a loud swear, while the Primid just squealed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p><a id="halberdbridge" name="halberdbridge"></a>1. The term <em>bridge<em> confused me for a while, so here's what it is. The bridge of a ship is the elevated platform where the captain gives commands while having the best view of everything that is happening around the ship. The stage in <em>The Subspace Emissary</em> called "Battleship Halberd Bridge" (where you fight Duon) isn't really accurate; I think "Main Deck" would've been better. The actual bridge is in the stage's background. <a href="#halberdbridgeback">Back</a></em></em></p><p> </p><p>  <em><br/><em><a id="stratosphere" name="stratosphere"></a>2. No weather occurs in the stratosphere. <a href="#stratosphereback">Back</a></em><br/></em></p><p> </p><p>  <em><br/><em><a id="inklings" name="inklings"></a>3. Most named characters in the <em>Splatoon</em> series are named after water-related things, so it's the same for the Inklings in this chapter:</em><br/></em></p><p> </p><p>  <em><br/><em>"Aster" comes from Asterope, one of the Oceanids in Greek mythology.</em><br/></em></p><p> </p><p>  <em><br/><em>"Trent" comes from the River Trent, a river in the United Kingdom.</em><br/></em></p><p> </p><p>  <em><br/><em>"Adrian" refers to the Adriatic Sea.</em><br/></em></p><p> </p><p>  <em><br/><em>"Nixie" refers to the shapeshifting water spirits in Germanic mythology and folklore. They're also known as "nix."</em><br/></em></p><p> </p><p>  <em><br/><em>"Tampa" comes from Tampa Bay in Florida.</em><br/></em></p><p> </p><p>  <em><br/><em>"Indy" is short for Indra, the god of storms in Hindu mythology. It also happens to be short for "indigo," a color that is close to purple.</em><br/></em></p><p> </p><p>  <em><br/><em>Lastly, "Caspian" comes from the Caspian Sea. <a href="#inklingsback">Back</a></em><br/></em></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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